Devil's Sweet Temptation
by Wendy McCalister
Summary: "I always get what I want," he murmured against the skin of her throat, but she was more focused on the warm hand trailing teasingly up her night dress. Good lord, what had she gotten herself into?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** "I always get what I want," he murmured against the skin of her throat, but she was more focused on the warm hand trailing teasingly up her night dress. Good lord, what had she gotten herself into?

 **A/N:** Hey! I'm back with another story. This time a little bit more… sexual… and darker… Kind of AU, if you ask me. No spirit detectives. No Yusuke, Kuwabara, or Shuichi Minamino. But, expect a lot of demons and deaths in this fic. Still contains the same worlds Reikai, Makai, and Ningenkai, but without the original YYH storyline. I'm warning you, though, there's an evil and possessive Youko in this fic! (He didn't escape to Ningenkai, become Shuichi Minamino, and learn love from his mother in this setting, after all) So, if you don't like that kind of thing, I suggest you press the Back button, leave this story and find another one to read. If not, then, without further ado, the first chapter!

 **Chapter 1**

"Hey."

Botan was in the middle of arranging the books in the Reikai library, when a voice, one that sounded smooth but felt unwanted to her, greeted her.

Her amethyst irises peered and narrowed at the tall, silver haired man leaning with one shoulder against one of the bookshelves. His smoldering gold leered at her, the dangerous smirk baring his sharp fangs as his fox ears twitched on his head.

"What are you doing here, Youko?" she asked, as she descended down the stairs leaned against a bookshelf. She went for the pile of books lying on a huge, round brown desk, ignoring the fox demon who calmly strolled up to her.

"Why, am I not allowed here?" he inquired instead of answering, voice seductive as his eyes fixed on her small back. She rolled her eyes, but didn't bother to answer.

Botan turned, and almost dropped the books in her hands when she realized that Youko had both hands placed at each side of her hips against the table, his tall form towering over her lithe figure. Crap, she was trapped.

The shock died out of her system as she stared up at his dark, heated pair of gold, taking its place was anger and frustration. Her features hardened as she felt him nudge his legs between hers.

If it wasn't for the great amount of respect and admiration Koenma held for him that allowed the fox demon to stay here in Reikai, Botan would have punched him square in the face a long time ago, if that was what it took to make him stop his perverted advances on her. But, Youko was considered as Koenma's loyal subject, even if he was a demon. She didn't know the reason her boss trusted this guy so much – something about Youko saving his life centuries ago – and frankly she didn't care. She didn't care if he was hot. She didn't care if her friends were chasing after him. She didn't care if he slept around with almost half of the ferry girls. She just wanted him to leave her alone.

"I'm busy," she said as calmly as possible, as she placed a hand on his alabaster chest. But before she could shove him away, he pulled apart, stepping aside to allow her to advance further for the bookshelves.

"You're always busy," Youko murmured, and for a moment, she detected a hint of disappointment in his voice, before quickly squashing that thought. She could feel his eyes on her body as she began to arrange the books to their original place.

"I'm a ferry girl," she stated dryly. "I'm supposed to be busy."

She was about to whirl around and head for the table again when a callous hand roughly tugged her back. Botan let out a loud yelp as she felt the owner harshly pushed her towards a bookshelf, her back connecting painfully against the wooden material. She was barely aware of the few books that felled off their place and onto the ground as she was more preoccupied with Youko's sharp nails digging into her forearm.

"Let go of me, Youko," she hissed as he shifted closer to her, setting one arm against the left side of her head. His gaze seemed unreadable as it stayed glue on her squirming form. "You're hurting me," she winced when he dug his nails deeper through her pink kimono and into her soft skin.

"This is exactly what I'm talking about," he stated, as if he was merely talking of the weather, and as if he wasn't pinning her against the bookshelf. "Why is it so hard for you to understand that all work, and no play is no fun at all? It's always business when it's with you. Why do your ferry girl duties always have to come first before anything?"

"Because I'm not like one of those ferry girls who swoon over you and drool at the idea of the next night when they could fuck you again," Botan's voice spat, as she harshly tried to break free of his hold. But, her efforts proved to be futile, as the more she struggled, the more he tightened his grip.

"Exactly," he growled, the sound reverberating through her being as it resonated in the library empty of presence except from theirs. A light smirk tugged at his lips as she glared up at him, refusing to back down and give in. "That's why I want you so bad," he whispered as he leaned in, his voice hoarse and desperate as his hot breath fanned at her sensitive ear.

"No, you want me because you know you can't have me," she murmured, fixing her gaze on the cold floor. She saw Youko's right foot lightly tap as his free hand reached for her hair, his sharp nails dangerously running in her strands of blue. "Why do you keep bothering me, Youko? Why can't you just go to someone who can satisfy your needs and don't really hate your guts like I do?" she whispered, trying to ignore the sensations that followed his featherlike touches.

Botan yelped when Youko suddenly grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking it hard enough to hurt. His features were fierce as he glowered down at her.

"Because no other woman will do," he growled, low and dangerous, and without waiting for her to respond, attacked her neck with his lips.

Her body trembled as she felt his hot mouth nip teasingly at her smooth neck. His hand released her arm, and seeing a small chance to escape, the ferry girl attempted to push him away when he all but took hold of her wrists in one hand, holding them above her head as he darted his tongue out, the wet appendage drawing lazy but teasing circles on her flesh.

"There's no use resisting, Botan." His words seemed to warn her of an impending doom as they resonated in her ears. "You can struggle all you want, but I'm stronger," he murmured, before grounding his pelvis against hers, the loud, startled whimper elicited from the girl in his arms causing a satisfied smirk to graze his lips.

"Stop," she said, before inhaling a shaky breath, "This is wrong. You could be thrown into Reikai prison for this… for molesting a ferry girl."

She gasped when his free hand found her ass, squeezing the plump mound roughly before pulling her hips closer against his. She felt him grind against her, and bit her lower lip in an attempt to stifle her moans.

"Then, why haven't you tell Koenma about this?" he asked, but his voice was taunting. He flicked his head up to study her, his gold eyes menacing as they gaped down at her flushed face. "Afraid, aren't we, sweetheart?"

"Don't call me that," she spat, turning to look away from his soul-piercing gaze, but she didn't acknowledge his words with a response. Her silence deafening, but confirming his suspicions.

"I knew it," he stated, all too knowingly, "You _are_ afraid. Afraid of what might become of me if I were to be sentenced to prison. Afraid of what might happen to your tarnished image of the perfect, top favorite ferry girl of Koenma if word about this spreads around. You are afraid, dearest, and I can _smell_ it." He inhaled the air, the scent of her fear intoxicating as it invaded his nostrils. But, he also caught something else. Remorse, worry… and arousal.

When she was unresponsive again, he knew he hit the jackpot.

He removed the hand that was on her hip, only to cup it on her chin and force her head upwards to meet his gaze.

"Tch, tch…" He shook his head, an amused smirk touching his lips as his gold orbs glinted in a menacing away. "Botan… Botan… Botan…" he whispered. "Always the kind, proud woman, are you not? You're scared of me and what I might do, you feel guilty because you're supposed to be this perfect image of the perfect ferry girl who does nothing wrong and never sleeps around unless it's with someone of Reikai origin or if you love him, _but_ ," He relished in her mewl as he slammed his covered erection against the area between her legs, the action pushing her against the bookshelf so hard she almost feared it would fall, "but, you _care_ about me. You worry about me. You worry about what you feel of me. You are attracted to me, but you refuse to indulge in your desires. You see them as silly and forbidden, but that's where you're wrong. They're not."

She took a sharp intake of breath, vividly away of the tears stinging at the back of her eyelids. "Stop," she whispered, her voice hoarse, sounding as it would break under the pressure, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, but I do." Youko grinned evilly at her. "I do very much. You hate and curse my very existence, because you _want_ me, Botan. You want me. And _you_ may be afraid of expressing your sexual urges, but, _I_ , on the other hand, have no qualms of just dragging you into a closet and fuck you right there." A heat pooled in his smoldering gold irises, a heat so strong that she had to avert her gaze. But, he would have none of that, and he tugged her face harshly so she was looking at him again, the lust in his eyes barely conceivable and making her gasp. "Would you like that? Cause I'd like that. Very much, my dear."

"Youko," she shakily called with quivering lips, "Please let me go."

"What if I don't want to?" he challenged her. "What if I want to keep you right here? Fuck you so hard in this library where anyone can come in until you forget your name and scream only mine?" He began to grind his hips against hers to emphasize his point.

Botan felt something familiar building inside her, and tried to ignore it when the doors of the library slammed open, the fox demon finally letting go of her as a different voice echoed in the quiet room.

"Where are you, Botan-chan? Koenma-sama's calling for you, he says he wants to talk about something urgent." It was Hinageshi, and judging from the padding footsteps that obviously came from the small red-haired ferry girl, she was close to walking to where they were right now.

Botan shoved Youko harshly away, just in time for Hinageshi to pop at the corner of the bookshelf.

"Oh, hello, Youko-san! I didn't know you were in here," she greeted the fox with a bright smile on her lips.

Youko bit back a chuckle, casting a brief glance over the upset-looking and disheveled blue haired ferry girl, before turning to look at Hinageshi. "Yes, I was just looking for something…" he murmured, a small smirk lingering at the edge of his lips.

"Oh, I see. Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yes," Youko repeated, and Botan could feel his eyes on her form as he said, "I did."

Hinageshi perked up. "Well, that's good then!" She then rotated her head to the right to peer at Botan, blinking when she finally noticed her messy hair and her slightly wrinkled kimono. "Are you okay, Botan-chan?" she asked worriedly, her lovely features marred in a deep frown. "You seem… a bit…" she trailed off as Botan sent her a stern expression, indicating that she should drop the subject. She quirked one red eyebrow at the other girl, but decided against probing into the matter.

"Well, Youko-san, if you may excuse us, we will be going now," Hinageshi regarded the fox demon with another wide grin, barely aware of the satisfied smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Sure." Youko nodded, unable to take his eyes off of Botan, who was unwilling to meet his stare, "See you later, Hinageshi… and Botan."

The blue haired ferry girl tried to ignore the purr that rumbled in the library when he said her name, and turned to her small friend instead. "Come on, let's go," she said as cheerful as ever, slipping on her bubbly mask to hide her discomfort.

Hinageshi didn't seem to notice there was something wrong with her, which was a good thing. "Okay!" the redhead chirped, before turning a moment to wave a hand at Youko as farewell. "See you, Youko-san!"

As Hinageshi grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room, Botan couldn't help but feel as if Youko's eyes were staring at her.

Just as she stepped out the door, she looked back at her shoulder, and realized she was right.

 **A/N:** This fic was inspired from a Draco/Hermione fic I read on the Harry Potter section. I can't remember the author's name, but she's a great one, and her stories are all wonderfully done. That aside though… Oh. My. God. I feel so wrong for writing this… Lol. Can't deny that I love writing this sort of thing though XD I'm sorry. I ruined Youko. You're probably going to love him but hate him at the same time as I continue to update more chapters into this story. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this! And please, don't hate me. T.T


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** "I always get what I want," he murmured against the skin of her throat, but she was more focused on the warm hand trailing teasingly up her night dress. Good lord, what had she gotten herself into?

 **Chapter 2**

"Fuck," Botan wasn't surprised by the savage curse that sounded in the room, "What happened to you?"

She looked up to see her purple-haired friend, Fuyumi, staring at her with worried filled blue eyes. She forced a smile, trying to cover her wrists, but it was futile as Fuyumi swiftly grabbed one of them before she could.

"Who did this?" Fuyumi asked between her gritted teeth as her eyes blazed with fury.

Botan's smile wavered, and she turned her head downwards in shame.

What could she possibly say? That Youko Kurama was the cause of this? It took her a while after Hinageshi dragged her out of the library earlier that afternoon for her to realize the red finger marks that lingered on her wrists. No doubt it had been from the fox's death-like grip. It was a good thing the redheaded ferry girl didn't notice, but Botan felt overly nauseous when she entered Koenma's office. The Reikai prince hadn't seen them, fortunately; thanks to her long kimono sleeves that hid the bruises. By the time it was nighttime, the red marks had turned a bit purple-ish. She tried her hardest to hide them from everyone, but with her wearing her sleeveless blue night dress right now, it was hardly that easy. But, she had hoped that no one would visit her room that night. Sometimes, other ferry girls did to ask her for some advice. Yet, tonight she nearly thought that she would have no visitors – until Fuyumi popped up.

Botan gulped. "No one," she answered in a low voice, hating how fragile she came off.

"No one, my ass," Fuyumi hissed, but not at her – at whoever did this to her. She murmured a few incoherent sentences that Botan suspected were a bunch of curses, before peering at the blue haired girl. She stared at her for a few moments, before heaving a sigh and flopping down on an unoccupied space on Botan's bed. Her features softened as she tenderly held Botan's hand. "Look, Botan. I don't want to force you or anything, but this is serious. If someone did this to you, you have to tell me. Or Ayame, or Hinageshi. Just… anyone. If you keep quiet about it, it won't get any better."

"Not Ayame," Botan nearly screeched, only to widen her eyes and slap a hand to her mouth as she realized what she just uttered. Enma knew that her friendship with Ayame had been… strained lately. She loved Ayame; she was her best friend – but after what she did to Koenma, she wasn't sure if she could forgive her. Koenma was like a brother to her, so when Botan found out that Ayame had been sleeping around with another man, she was devastated. Who knows how Koenma had felt. He loved Ayame with all his heart; they had been dating for over three years and he was even about to propose to her… Botan just couldn't believe that Ayame had the heart to do what she did to him. After Koenma and Ayame broke up, Botan and her hadn't talked much. Sometimes, she thought it was for the best.

"Well, if you're not going to say a word to Ayame, then at least, tell me," Fuyumi said, her tone laced with concern.

Botan bit her lip. "I-I don't know," she sputtered hesitantly. Should she tell her? Fuyumi was a nice girl, but she had a habit of looking down on demons and those who associated with them – associated here meaning sex – and Botan wasn't entirely certain how she would react. But, Fuyumi was a good friend – and a good detective when she needed to know about something – and Botan couldn't hide it from her forever. She sighed heavily.

"Alright," she mumbled, "I'll tell you." Botan had to take a deep breath as Fuyumi's expression turned serious. She looked at the purple-haired girl pleadingly, hoping that she would get how desperate she was at the time. "But, you have to promise you won't tell anyone."

Fuyumi blinked, but then nodded her head. "Yes, I promise. Now, tell me."

"Okay then. Well, it all began a few months back…"

" _Ah, I'm tired," Botan sighed as she rubbed her sore shoulder. It had been another busy day; one of those days where she had a lot of souls to ferry – and she was understandably exhausted. Her job could take its toll on her sometimes, emotionally and physically, but she tried to do her best as she could no matter what. That was why Koenma favored her above all other ferry girls, but it also became the reason he grew to become too dependent on her._

 _She rounded a corner, a startled gasp leaving her when she accidentally bumped into someone. She staggered back, nearly falling on her butt, when a muscled arm encircled around her waist, tugging her back to her feet._

" _T-thank you," Botan muttered, whilst wondering how she could be so careless. Must be because she was so tired. She tried to ignore the alabaster chest that stared back at her, and flicked her gaze up to meet whoever it was that she had bumped into and saved her from her fall – only to come eye to eye with a silver haired fox._

" _Y-Youko!" she cried in surprise, staring at him with wide eyes as he, for some reason unknown to her, smirked at her. She pulled away just in time for him to release her. "What are you doing here?" she inquired, as she regained her composure, the shock dying out her system. "This is the ferry girls' headquarters. You could get into trouble if someone finds out."_

" _Oh, no worries," Those were the first words he spoke to her, "I know how to take care of it if someone does."_

 _What he said piqued her interest and she quirked an eyebrow at him. "Oh, really? You do now? And how exactly?"_

 _His gold eyes glinted in… something she couldn't quite put her finger on, before he took a step forward towards her. Botan nearly backed away, when he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her up against his form. She parted her mouth to reprimand him when he whispered, "I'll just have to charm my way into their pants, and they won't have a complaint." He smirked, and pulling away from her ear, removed his hold on her, watching her as she stepped back a little to gain some distance between them._

 _Botan blushed, although she wasn't sure for what reason. Either it was his sudden actions, or his perverted words, or both, she didn't know. But, what she_ _ **did**_ _know was that he_ _ **was**_ _actually quite attractive. However, he was a demon nonetheless, and he had a dangerous air around him that frightened her so much she never dared to come near him. When he first came to Reikai, with a bunch of other demons trailing behind him like minions, Koenma had told her that he and his group would be staying in their realm from that day onwards. She never understood why, but she could tell that Koenma held a great deal of trust for the fox demon, so she tried to put her own belief in him as well. Surely, if_ _ **Koenma**_ _trusted him, then she was bound to. But, she could never bring herself to do it. Something about his gold eyes and his silver hair seemed to spell danger from day one. Besides, she knew all about his 'activities' with other ferry girls, and was appalled by how easily he could have sex with anyone. Reikai didn't have all those diseases that could be transmitted through overly too much sexual intercourse like Ningenkai, but she found it ridiculous how a man could just enter a woman's bedroom and get under the covers with her even though they didn't love each other. And trust me, from what she could tell; Youko didn't love any of his fuck buddies. Demon or not, his actions gained her disapproval and disgust. It had been all the more reason for her to avoid him._

 _And right now, standing here in an empty hallway with him gazing at her like she was his next meal, made the hairs on the back of the neck stand upright. Botan realized she had to get away from him as soon as possible, so she made an excuse to leave._

" _I-I've gotta go," she stammered, his gold eyes leering up and down her body before fixing on her face. "I need to take a shower. It's been a really tiring day. So, if you'd be so willing to step aside—"_

 _Suddenly, Botan felt her back slamming against the wall._

 _It happened so fast, she didn't know how to react. All she had felt was Youko's hand grabbing her arm, and then in a swift motion, she found herself backed up against the wall with his arms placed flat at each side of her head. He had her pinned, and the fear became almost overwhelming._

" _W-what are you doing?" she snapped, attempting to push him off when he took hold of her wrist. "Youko, stop kidding around. This isn't funny—"_

 _Botan's protests were promptly silenced as a pair of lips – ones that didn't belong to her – crushed hers. Her amethyst orbs broadened in a mixture of shock and alarm, but by the time she had regained some sense in her head and found the strength to shove him off of her, he had already broken off the kiss._

 _Botan stood, flabbergasted, with her mouth hanging apart as he stepped back to study her. A smirk tugged at his lips, and what she could finally identify as lust entered his smoldering gold irises._

" _You taste as sweet as I imagined," he remarked to himself more than to her. And, running a hand into his hair, Youko pulled out a rose. He handed it to Botan, who reluctantly accepted it with quivering hands. "Good bye, peony. I hope to see you again."_

 _And then, he turned and left._

 _Botan watched him go for some time, and when his silhouette finally disappeared from her sight, she slumped down the wall and onto the floor. She brought a hand to her lips, tracing her long fingers over the plump – now noticeably warm; she couldn't help but notice – skin. For a moment, she wondered if the warmth she felt on her mouth was from the feel of his against hers, but then she immediately brushed the thought off as another crossed her mind:_

 _What the hell just happened?_

She had told Fuyumi everything; from A to Z. And she felt a surge of relief when she realized that Fuyumi's anger was not directed at her. But, the fear remained in her heart, even as she now had her friend's support.

"Oh, my god! That asshole!" Fuyumi cried out indignantly, her features contorted into a horrified expression. "If I ever see him, I'm going to strangle him to death! How dare he take advantage of you like that? And what happened at the library? He _deserves_ to be thrown into prison." She grabbed Botan's wrists, studying the purple bruises with a deep frown etched on her forehead. "Look at what he's done to you."

"He probably didn't even do it on purpose," Botan murmured as she tugged her hands out of her friend's grip. She didn't know why she felt the need to defend the fox, even though he _did_ practically try to molest her. And she tried not to think of it too much.

"You're still defending him after all he's done?" Fuyumi asked in an incredulous tone. "God, Botan, if I were you, I'd be kicking his ass."

"I wish," the blue haired girl grumbled and rolled her eyes, "But, I keep thinking of Koenma. I don't want him to be let down by someone else who is important to him – even if that important person happens to be Youko Kurama. Besides," she sighed, "he's too strong and will probably throw me into a wall before I even lay a finger on his hair."

Fuyumi seemed to consider this. "True, it will probably grow worse if you tried to fight back." Then, she expelled an exasperated groan. "But, Botan, you have to understand that you have to do something about this! If you don't, he'll never leave you alone."

Botan let out a deep sigh. "I know," But, she didn't know what to do, exactly, "It's just… I don't have a plan, Fuyumi. And I'm scared," she admitted in a shaky breath.

She saw Fuyumi's angry look disappear, taking its place was pity and worry. "I know. That's why I want to help you. Because you're my friend, and because you can't do this alone." Her features turned serious as she looked straight into Botan's eyes.

"But, I have a plan. And it's a sure way to keep a certain perverted fox demon out of your life."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** "I always get what I want," he murmured against the skin of her throat, but she was more focused on the warm hand trailing teasingly up her night dress. Good lord, what had she gotten herself into?

 **Chapter 3**

Botan felt an overwhelming guilt weighing down her heart as she strolled down the large hallway, each step heavy and filled with dread. She stopped at one of the large, brown doors with the huge number of '6' written on it. She glanced around, searching for the person she was supposed to meet up with here. Had he not arrived yet? He said to be here two hours after the gathering, but she had not seen him yet. Normally, she wouldn't mind waiting. But, at the thought of Youko finding her alone here made her reconsider. She didn't want to be found right now, but it wouldn't hurt to be cautious. After all, he always found her. Besides, she could always reschedule.

Botan was about to make her way back to her room, when she caught the distant sound of footsteps heading her way. For a moment, she flinched, thinking it was the silver haired demon, only to heave a sigh of relief as she turned to look at the owner and realized who it was. A man with short, spiky purple hair and red eyes greeted her with a small wave and a friendly quirk of the lips.

"Hello, Botan-chan," he said, excitement dripping in his voice. Momentarily, she felt uncomfortable with this. The fact that she was now alone with the one and only man other than Youko who might be infatuated with her enough to just touch her without her consent right then and there didn't settle well with her. But, at the reminder that this man could help her, she decided against aborting the whole plan.

"Hello… Heiji-san," she greeted back, trying her utmost to just return his smile with her own.

There was a perverted glint in his orbs as he scanned her form up and down, something that ignited Botan's sudden desire to punch the guy into oblivion – but unlike Youko, he didn't make advances on her; merely studying her than anything else. Perhaps he didn't have the guts, or he respected her a little to consider her feelings, but he never laid a finger on her. Either way, she was glad that she wasn't being pushed against a wall and kissed against her will for once.

In spite her relief however; Botan could hardly believe that the man standing before her was her only savior from Youko Kurama.

* * *

" _Are you frigging serious, Fuyumi?!" Botan's loud, incredulous cry echoed in the entire room – perhaps even the whole ferry girl headquarters – as it rattled the walls. Fuyumi winced at the ear-rupturing sound, but focused her gaze on her friend, who was staring at her as if she had gone mad._

 _Fuyumi sighed. "Look, Botan. I don't know about you, but I think Heiji's the perfect guy for the job," she stated calmly, as if she wasn't talking about Botan's admirer slash stalker for the past couple of years._

 _The blue haired girl shook her head in stubbornness. "No!" she roared. "No, I will not accept this preposterous plan!"_

" _Stop," Fuyumi let out a groan and made a face. "You're starting to sound like Youko. Has the time you've been spending around with him gotten you to pick up a few of his attributes?" she asked, the last sentence escaping her lips without revelation. When it finally hit her of what she just blurted out, her hand quickly flew to her mouth. She stared wide eyed at the other girl._

 _Botan sat there, her face blank but her mouth tugged down in a thin angry line. They both knew that the only time Botan spent around Youko's presence always included experiences of him attempting to sleep with her, and the poor blue haired ferry girl was clearly displeased over having reminded of the less than pleasant memories._

" _Sorry," Fuyumi murmured, "I didn't mean it like that."_

 _Botan heaved a sigh. "It's fine. I know. I should be saying sorry, I don't know why I've been… tense these days."_

" _It's his fault," Fuyumi scoffed. "He's getting to you."_

" _I sometimes wish he's not," Botan whispered, before regarding her friend with a serious look. "Are you sure that Heiji's the right guy for this? I mean, if worse comes to worse, Youko would probably decapitate him."_

" _Or feed him to his death plants."_

" _I'm serious here, Fuyumi."_

 _The purple haired girl raised her arms up in defense. "I know, I know! I was only trying to ease the tension."_

" _By talking about how dangerous Youko Kurama is?" Botan shot back, to which Fuyumi pulled a small pout._

" _You're right, you've been tense lately," Fuyumi remarked dryly, before expelling a deep sigh. "Okay, listen, nothing's going to happen to Heiji. As dangerous as he is, even Youko would probably get it if you start dating someone else. Trust me, he'll leave you alone if he finds out you're Heiji's girlfriend."_

" _Youko's not exactly a patient man, Fuyumi," Botan stated tartly, as if she had known the fox for years. "There's a possibility he_ _ **might**_ _actually kill him."_

" _But, Koenma trusts him. And Heiji is the closest thing to Koenma's favorite SDF recruit, if you ask me. If Youko even tries to do anything, I can assure you Koenma will have him banished from Reikai in an instant. Then, he won't get to see you again. I doubt Youko would risk losing you if he really wants you that bad," Fuyumi elaborated, her words reassuring the other girl that nothing bad would occur._

 _Botan was reluctant, but Fuyumi had a point. "You're right. I guess Youko won't try to resort to murder if you think of it that way." She sighed. "I just don't like the idea of going out with Heiji. You know… how he is." She suppressed a shudder as she recalled one time of accidentally catching sight of Heiji literally drooling over her._ _ **Literally**_ _._

 _Fuyumi gave a light shrug. "Well, better him than Youko."_

" _What if he tries a move on me?"_

" _Relax, Botan. Heiji may be a stalker and a pervert, but he at least possesses some self control. He's a reigen, remember? Reigens are practically born with self control. Youko, on the other hand, is a demon, and therefore, he's worse. So if I were you, I'd go with the far less dangerous option." Fuyumi saw the touch of hesitance in Botan's amethyst irises as she said all this, and promptly decided to go on. "Look, Botan. You don't have much of a choice. You've gotta do it."_

 _Botan stared at her friend for a while, hoping to herself that this was all just a bad dream. Seriously, to escape a maniac she had to go for a semi-maniac? She sighed. But, she knew it had to be done. Or else, she'd lose everything. And all because of Youko. And that was the worst thing that could happen._

" _Alright, I'm in."_

* * *

"Really?"

Botan tried to ignore Heiji's over excitement that seemed to radiate off of his being after having asked him out on a date. She inwardly sighed, before forcing a smile. "Yes."

Heiji seemed to cheer as the word left her lips, leaving her to think to herself if she was really doing the right thing. She broke out of her trance when the delight in his features dissipated, replaced with a look filled with confusion.

"But, I thought you didn't like me?" he asked. "I mean, you always said no when I asked you out before."

Botan let out a nervous laugh. "Ah, yes. But, I thought I would give you a chance. I mean, you seem like a nice guy and all." _Yeah, if you call stalking me for years nice, that is_ , she added in her thoughts, but dared not voice them out loud.

Heiji's face looked as if it would disappear behind the huge grin he sported. "I see!" he exclaimed in a tone that was too cheerful for Botan's taste. "Well, that would explain it." He nodded his head in understanding, his grin changing into a smug smirk as he punched a fist on his chest. "Don't worry about it, Botan-chan. I won't let you down. I'll show you how nice I really am! You won't regret it, I promise. You'd be feeling lucky that you have someone as handsome and talented…"

The ferry girl tried to focus on what he was saying, but found herself letting her mind wander somewhere else instead. As good looking and strong as he might be, Botan thought he was a bit too arrogant for his own good. A fact that made his obsessive stalker issues over her all the more disturbing. She shook her head lightly. She shouldn't be thinking too much about the disturbing part, reminding herself that this was the only way to force Youko out of her life for good.

"Then… are you free tonight? I can take you to dinner or something. We can even go to Ningenkai, if you'd like. I know how fond you are with human food."

Botan snapped out of her reverie as Heiji's words resonated in the air and reached her ears. She lifted her gaze to meet his, and once more, forced another smile on her face – whilst trying to ignore the perverted gleam in his eyes. _Relax. This is only for awhile. Just to keep Youko out of the way. Once Youko forget about me, I'll break up with him._ She told herself, before inhaling a deep breath.

"Alright," she said, "I don't have any plans tonight, so maybe you can pick me up at 8:00."

"Ah, but are SDF recruits allowed to enter the ferry girls headquarters?"

"It's okay if you ask for Koenma's permission. I'm sure he'll give it to you. He seems like he likes you a lot."

"Great! 8:00, it is."

She nodded her head, unaware that her own response would bring forth nothing but trouble.

* * *

Piercing gold irises glared at the scene that unfolded at the hallway. A figure sat languidly on a tree branch near the two chattering silhouettes at the hallway; one of a purple-haired SDF recruit, and the other a bluenette ferry girl – one that the owner of the molten gold was greatly fond of.

Youko sounded an irritated 'tch', his fox ears flat on his head in slight annoyance. His eyes lost its vibrant glimmer as a dark, jealous look, mingled with a touch of malice, entered them. He continued to eye Botan and Heiji, until the latter excused himself with the excuse of having some business to take care of. He watched the duo depart, resisting the urge to rip Heiji's throat out for even thinking of Botan. _His_ Botan.

It wasn't as if he hadn't noticed the disturbing infatuation that the SDF member harbored for the ferry girl and normally, merely casting a glance at Botan would've given Heiji a punishment worth losing his life in the hands of a possessive fox demon, but Youko couldn't take the risk. Heiji ought to be thankful that Youko had some self control not to call his death plants to gobble him up. Youko knew that such an act would result to him getting forced out of Reikai, something he couldn't let occur as the consequences themselves would result to him unable to see his ferry girl again. But, now that Botan was _asking the goddamn guy out on a date_ , Youko just couldn't sit still. He had to do something.

A smirk crossed his lips as he devised a plan to get rid of Heiji. For good. It would take a few tricks and powerful herbs here and there, but it was nothing that difficult. In fact, he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before. _Yes… that would teach him a lesson._ He chuckled evilly to himself.

"What are you laughing about?"

Youko's chuckle died out in the air, as he rotated his head to the right to fixate his gaze on the short fire demon standing beside him. He had sensed his energy pattern, and noticed his presence, but hadn't bothered to acknowledge him as he had been preoccupied with observing a certain ferry girl. The fox allowed a light smirk to curl at the edge of his lips.

"Hiei," he said, without answering the question, "It's rude to watch a guy stalk his intended mate."

Hiei let out a scoffing sound. "I don't understand what you see in her." He rolled his eyes. "She's just a perky ferry girl. What is it about her that reduces you to a pathetic fawning school boy?"

"I doubt you'd understand even if I told you," Youko replied calmly as he got to his feet. His smirk broadened slightly as his thoughts went to Botan.

"Do you love her?" Hiei inquired as he eyed Youko jump off the branch, before following suit. The fox's smirk wavered as he shot him an incredulous stare.

"Love? I do not know anything about love," he snorted. "I do not love. And you don't, either. We demons are not capable of loving others but ourselves." Suddenly, his smirk returned to his face. "I don't love Botan. I want her. I lust after her. It's just as simple as that."

"So, why are you sleeping with the other ferry girls?"

"On a whim," Youko responded with a cynical grin. "I like watching their pathetic attempts at trying to pin me down and keep me to themselves. Hilarious how some women are unable to keep a relationship without attachment. I merely want them for sex; nothing more and nothing less. It's their fault if they end up falling for me. I never promised anything." His eyes narrowed. "Besides, they are not Botan. They can't satiate my desires, no matter how hard they try. They are merely toys; toys I use for my own amusement. But, Botan…" His tongue darted out as he licked his lips, "She's different."

Hiei stared at him for a moment, and then, shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever. Do as you like. Not like it has anything to do with me. But, what do you have planned though? She seems to like that oaf, Heiji, if she's asking him out. You'd better get to work if you really want her that badly."

Hiei could have sworn he caught a brief… something in Youko's eyes as he said that. Something that made even his blood run cold, and he suppressed a shudder as Youko's gaze turned to him, a confident smirk touching his pale complexion.

"You don't have to worry about that, Hiei," he spoke, his voice chilling, "By the time I'm done with that bastard Heiji, he would be wishing he never even looked at her."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** "I always get what I want," he murmured against the skin of her throat, but she was more focused on the warm hand trailing teasingly up her night dress. Good lord, what had she gotten herself into?

 **Chapter 4**

"So, how did it go?"

Botan whipped her head to look at Fuyumi. They were in one of Reikai's hot springs, and although the warm water soothed her nerves and made her body relax, she couldn't help but tense up as the conversation went from chattering about a few gossips that had been going around the ferry girls' headquarters to a certain plan both – or more precisely, Fuyumi – had devised in order to drive Youko away from her. Even after dipping into the calming hot spring, no doubt she still felt bad over using and leading Heiji on – even if he was a bit bordering on a stalker.

She sighed, knowing that she had no choice but to answer. "He said he's picking me up at 8:00."

Fuyumi's features brightened at the response. "That's good news! Although, it's not really that surprising." Her smile dropped as she finally noticed Botan's crestfallen face, and she blinked, baffled at her friend's obvious displeasure. "What's wrong? I thought you'd be happy?"

Botan's countenance instantly crunched up in discomfort. "I thought so too, but I guess I still feel guilty," she told the other girl truthfully.

Fuyumi's brows were now knitted together. "Why? Because you're toying with Heiji's feelings?" she said, although her words were more of a statement than a question. "I know you feel, Botan, but this had to be done. I mean, unless you want to get raped by a crazy fox demon then go ahead and abort the plan."

Botan was momentarily offended at her friend's comment. She grimaced. "You didn't have to say it like that."

"Sorry, but it's true." Fuyumi gave her a light shrug of her right shoulder. "If Youko's really after you, then there's nothing stopping him but a boyfriend." She turned to peer at Botan, seeming to eventually notice that she was upset with her. A heavy sigh escaped her lips. "Look, Botan, I know I offended you, but you know that it's true."

"I know," Botan murmured, albeit she didn't return Fuyumi's gaze. She stared at the wall, as if there was something interesting there.

Fuyumi was aware that the blue haired ferry girl needed a little time to cool her head, so she immediately got out of the hot spring, the water splashing under her feet as she grabbed her towel. She whirled around to face Botan, but her friend didn't look as if she was about to object to her sudden departure. She sighed once more, shaking her head, before wrapping the towel around her body.

"I'm going now, Botan," she informed from her shoulder, and waited for a moment to see if a response would echo in the air, but none came. When Botan was unresponsive, Fuyumi went on, "Catch you later. Sorry for what I said," she whispered, and then walked for the exit. She slid the door open, before shutting it close, leaving Botan alone to think to herself.

Botan ran a hand through her blue tresses as she heard the door close, a soft sigh escaping her lips. She sunk deeper into the water, until nothing but her nose and eyes were visible on the surface. What the hell was she doing? Trampling on someone's feelings? Even if it was for a reason, it didn't really justify her actions. She should be able to take care of her problems herself, without needing to resort to this. Her mind suddenly drifted to a certain silver haired fox. Her life had been in utter chaos since he came into the picture, and she hated him for it. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? No matter how hard she resisted, or how many times she refused his advances, he would never give up. Why did he want her so much? Sure, he was attractive, and the fact that he lusted after her was flattering – she would even go as far as admitting that she did want him, even if for a tiny bit – but this had gone too far. Attraction meant nothing when the other person was busy being a molester and a jerk all the time.

 _I can't let him affect me anymore. Just look at me, I'm even resorting to using Heiji just for the sake of running from him. Since when did I develop a habit of running away from my problems? I have to face him on my own._ She thought, as she slowly stood up from the hot spring. That's right. She didn't have to do this. She could just go and talk to Youko… but then, he would probably try to do something perverted to her if he saw her. She tried to think of something else… but found nothing she could do but to tell this to Koenma. But, what could she possibly say? Koenma trusted Youko, and even though she loathed to admit it, but she didn't want to ruin their friendship. The two obviously shared an unfathomable trust for each other; something she couldn't just go up and break that easily. Besides, she'd always go to Koenma anytime she had a problem; how many times did she have to drag him into the bullshit that was happening in her life? This time, she had to do something on her own. No matter how difficult it would be, she couldn't afford to involve anyone else in this. She would figure out a solution sooner or later; she was a smart girl. But, for now, she had to go and meet up with Heiji. She had to tell him that she couldn't go out with him, that he needed to get over her and find someone else. That was the only thing she could do right now.

* * *

Heiji studied himself in the mirror, another scowl resting on his lips as he realized that the blue tie wrapped around his collar didn't fit him like he thought it would. Yanking it off, the SDF recruit turned and headed for his bed – where a pile of ties with various colors were settled on the mattress. He grabbed a striped one, scrutinizing it for a moment, before throwing it on another pile, all of which he found unsuitable for his date with Botan. He needed to look good for her. After all those times of asking her out and getting rejected, he had to appeal more… alluring to her. Joy swelled his heart as he thought over the evening; he hadn't expected for her to make the first move. She said she was willing to give him a chance, so he had to prove to her that he was worth it.

However, just as his hand reached to grab a red tie, a sound from the kitchen acquired his attention. It sounded like breaking glass… but that couldn't be possible, could it? His roommate, Yosuke, had gone out for a drink with the other men from SDF a while ago, and therefore, there was supposed to be no one in the room but him. An intruder? His eyes widened in alarm and he quickly ran into the kitchen.

As he stepped through the entrance, his brows furrowed as the revelation hit him that there was no one there. His eyes caught the pieces of broken glass lying on the tiled floor, but aside from it, nothing else seemed suspicious. It was as if the glass felled off the counter on its own. _But, that isn't possible!_ His frantic mind screamed and he sounded an audible gulp. There must be someone here… If the intruder could hide their presence from him, then they must be strong. Sweat beaded on his forehead and trickled down from his eyebrow to his chin, as he glanced around here and there for any signs of life. Only to find nothing. There was no one in the kitchen but him. The air was deadly silent; so silent that he felt a wave of fear gripping at his sides, a strong fright that he had never felt before. Something in his head was yelling at him to run, but his feet wouldn't move no matter how frantic he ordered them to. Before he realized it, he was already letting out sharp breaths.

"My, panting already? And I haven't even done anything yet," a cold voice from the shadows at the other end of the kitchen behind him and he swiftly whirled around. He met eye contact with a pair of menacing gold orbs, the glint of hatred and bloodlust that filled the fox demon's irises sending a shiver down his spine.

"Y-Youko Kurama!" He took a step back from the advancing demon. "What the hell is the likes of you doing here?" he demanded.

"I have some business to take care of, you see," Youko stated calmly, and crossed his arms over his chest. His gaze traveled from the purple-haired man to the discarded shards on the floor. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but I accidentally broke something of yours." His voice was mockingly polite, as a smirk tugged at his lips. He leaned against the wall, eyeing the quivering SDF member before him. "Isn't it common sense to serve a guest a cup of tea or a glass of water?"

Heiji gritted his teeth, irritated at the demon's choice of words. "Are you shitting me?" he growled. "You came in here uninvited, and you're telling me to serve you a cup of tea or a glass of water? You must be shitting me." He smirked, trying to still the shaking of his form as he glared back at the pair of gold glowering at him. "Don't think just because Koenma-sama respects and trusts you that I'm about to let you get away with this. You filthy demons aren't even allowed to take even one step in Reikai if it wasn't for our prince!"

A chuckle rumbled in Youko's chest, a touch of amusement entering his eyes for a moment, before it was quickly replaced with a certain darkness that made the hairs on the back of Heiji's neck stand upright. "You talk big, pathetic reigen," the fox mocked with a taunting smirk as he pushed himself off the wall. His arms uncrossed as he studied the other man. "It makes it easier for me to kill you."

Heiji's features contorted in fear as he watched Youko pull out a rose from his hair. But, before he could even whip around and flee for his life, a thorny vine had already wrapped itself around his neck, yanking hard enough to bite into his skin but not hard enough to rip his whole throat out. Heiji felled on fours on the floor, letting out a violent fit of coughs as he felt the vines dig painfully into his flesh. His hands reached up to somehow force the vine to let go, but the more he tugged, the more it tightened its grip on him, nearly choking him. He tried to take greedy inhales of air, but it was no use. He could feel his life draining away as the vine coiled tighter and tighter around his throat.

It took him all his remaining strength to lift his head and fix his gaze on the vine. He traveled his eyes upwards until they reached the other end of the vine. At the other end stood Youko with a sadistic grin but a disappointed look in his irises as he stared back at Heiji.

"Is that all?" Youko tilted his head. "I figured that Koenma's favorite SDF member would put up much more of a fight." He yanked at the vine, causing Heiji to gasp sharply and drop face first on the floor. "Talk about a severe let down."

"W-why…" Heiji's broken voice asked, but could not finish his sentence as the vine tugged, its hold around his neck unbearable.

"You are a pest," Youko answered coldly, his gold eyes narrowing in a menacing way at the man on his knees. "You're in the way, and I must get rid of you."

"What the _hell_ —" Heiji's voice cut off as Youko yanked the rose whip hard enough to cut through nearly half of his throat. His whole body began to convulse as an excessive amount of blood started to bleed from his wound.

Youko smirked, watching with sadistic pleasure as the man began to beg for him to stop his torment on him. "Pity," he murmured. "And here I thought I could play with you a little bit longer." He yanked once more, Heiji's shrill, banshee-like screech ringing in his ears and causing them to twitch in excitement. "Well, just lie there while I take my time to _sloooowly_ torture you…"

* * *

Botan sat fidgeting on her bed as she waited nervously for Heiji to come to her room. It was already an hour and a half past 8:00. Did he forget about their date? Well, it wasn't like she was going, but she had figured she could reject him when he arrived. But, he was still nowhere to be found. Where could he be? Her nerves were killing her. The waiting was killing her.

She inhaled a deep breath to calm herself down a bit. "Relax," she told herself, "He's probably still choosing what to wear." But, for this long? It was unusual, even for him. She stood up from the bed; the pink lacy night dress cascading down her thighs, and reaching just above her knees as she began to stroll for the door, intending to look for him. She had to explain to him that she didn't want all this before he'd get the wrong idea. But, just as her hand was mere inches from touching the doorknob, a sudden clicking sound reached her ears, followed by the feeling of the bone-chilling breeze that caused her to shiver. Strange… she could have sworn she locked all the windows in her room… Her eyes abruptly widened in realization. Alarmed, she made to turn around – only to find herself pinned between the door and a silver haired fox demon. When the hell did he get in here?!

"Youko!" she hissed, glaring heatedly at his unreadable expression. "What are you doing here?" she asked, placing her hand on his chest to shove him away – only to halt halfway in her movements as she felt a warm, sticky sensation. She peered down, a scream building in her chest as the terrifying revelation hit her that it was blood. But, the sound did not manage to erupt from her throat as Youko was swift to cover her mouth with his – _bloodied_ – hand, muffling her scream. She felt nauseous as the stench of the red liquid entered her nostrils, but she made no move to force Youko's hand from her lips, finding herself rendered motionless under his dark gaze. They stared at each other for a few more moments, and when he was certain she would not scream, he pulled his hand away, leaving a bright crimson stain on her mouth and chin. He watched as she frantically wiped it all away.

"You look ravishing," Youko remarked with an oddly cold voice, his gold orbs seeming to stare right into her soul, "Are you wearing this just for Heiji?"

The question caused her eyes to widen, a look of fear crossing her lovely features as she lifted her head to gape at him in shock. "H-how did you…" she trailed off as Youko glared.

"Did you think I would never know?" he snapped at her. "If you did, then you are awfully stupid."

She nearly jumped when his voice raised a notch, but as he called her 'stupid', her terror and anxiety quickly faded into thin air, taking its place was fury. Being called 'stupid' by the guy she hated most on the face of the three worlds was like a stab at her pride. "How dare you—"

"Well, I took care of him anyway," Youko cut her indignant cry short, eyeing as the anger in her beautiful amethysts diminished, slowly but gradually filling with trepidation. "He was unbelievably weak. He didn't even last three hours as I tortured him." He smirked. "Well, at least he had one of the most priceless expressions I ever had the pleasure of seeing."

She threw a disgusted look at him. "How could you!" she cried. "H-he didn't even do anything—"

"He did. He tried to steal you from me," he murmured as he lifted his hand to cup her chin.

She harshly tugged it out of his grasp. "I was never yours," she growled at him, despite inwardly blaming herself for Heiji's death. She bit her trembling lower lip, ignoring the tears that stung at the back of her eyes. Dear Enma, what had she done?

"Perhaps." A dark chuckle erupted from his lips, the sound seeming to reverberate in her entire being and gripping her sides with a deep hatred she never thought she could feel. "But, you will be."

She flicked her head up, her eyes shooting daggers at him. How could he look so satisfied after all that he'd done? _Of course_ , she mused bitterly to herself, _he's a demon_.

"I will never belong to you!" she roared angrily, mustering up all her strength to push him away. She tried to get away from him as far as possible, but he grabbed her wrist before she could even summon her oar, tugging her and pulling her body crushed against his hard form, his lips slamming against hers in a bruising kiss.

She felt the warm tears trail down her cheeks as he pulled apart, attaching his lips on her porcelain neck. She took in a shaky breath, attempting to break free. But, her efforts were fruitless. His grip on her wrist was vice-like, leaving her no means for escape.

"I always get what I want," he murmured against the skin of her throat, but she was more focused on the warm hand trailing teasingly up her night dress.

Good lord, what had she gotten herself into?


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** "I always get what I want," he murmured against the skin of her throat, but she was more focused on the warm hand trailing teasingly up her night dress. Good lord, what had she gotten herself into?

 **Chapter 5**

Botan's head was turned downwards, her bangs covering her eyes as she strolled along the hallways packed with scurrying ogres and chattering ferry girls. She ignored the worried glances she earned from her fellow Grim Reapers, focused instead on what was on her mind.

It had been a week since then. A long, dreadful week. She had been avoiding Fuyumi lately. She didn't want her purple-haired friend to fall for the same demise that Heiji had to suffer. Remorse crept up her skin as she recalled the SDF recruit. She didn't think Youko would actually kill him. She had been around death for centuries, had seen countless deaths more brutal than a mind could imagine, but not _this_. Youko was a demon; he had murdered more than she might think, but this time, he did it for _her_. This all happened because of _her_. To make matters worse, after that night, she tried desperately to inform Koenma of what had occurred; finally willing to let down the Reikai prince so he would know that his so-called trustworthy companion, Youko Kurama, had killed one of the SDF members – but, he hadn't remembered anything, didn't even know who Heiji was. Everyone else around her was the same. Even Fuyumi, who couldn't remember that she was the one who suggested her to go out with him. She doubted her friend even recalled Botan telling her about Youko. No doubt it was the fox's doing. Regardless, Botan had been relentless in her attempts to bring forth justice, to somehow avenge Heiji's death. Until today, she had finally given up. It was useless. Whatever Youko used to erase their memories of Heiji, it was potent _and_ effective. The people around her wouldn't remember, didn't even come close to remembering, no matter how hard she tried.

What was she to do now? She could never live with this. With the guilt. With the knowledge that Youko had taken someone's life and erased their entire existence. Just because of her. She was at fault here, and she didn't know how to fix this mess. She hadn't seen much of Youko these days, but she was aware it was only a matter of time before he would start harassing her again. And she wasn't sure if she knew how to deal with him when the time comes.

* * *

 _Botan's back bounced against the mattress as Youko literally threw her on the bed. She yelped, startled at his sudden actions. As she regained her senses, escape immediately came to mind. But, just as she was about to prop herself up the bed, Youko pushed her down once again, nudging his legs between hers and placing his hands on each side of her head. There was no use. He had her trapped again. That didn't mean she couldn't break free, though… If she kicked him in the stomach or something… Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt as she felt something tug at her wrist. She turned her head to the right to see what it was, her eyes widening in alarm as she realized a vine was holding her back. Before she could react or even register what was happening, a few more slithered from the ceiling and down the walls, before quickly extending and grabbing her other wrist and both her ankles. It took her a moment before it hit her that she was completely restrained._

 _"_ _Youko!" she cried as she tugged at her limbs in some sort of vain attempt to force her way out of this predicament. "What are you doing? Let me go!" she demanded._

 _He seemed poised as he studied her squirming form. "But if I do that, you'll run away, won't you?" he retorted calmly, before bending down to bury his head in her hair. He inhaled her scent, finding her vanilla smell as a calming effect as it entered his nostrils. "And I can't have that," he whispered in her ear._

 _Botan tried to ignore the shiver that traveled down her spine as his hot breath fanned over her ear. She struggled some more, only to have the vines dig deeper into her flesh, cutting through and causing blood to trickle out and drip onto the mattress. She froze for a brief second as instantly as she felt something warm trail down her skin, knowing in the back of her mind that it was her blood._

 _"_ _Keep resisting like that," he said, as he pulled apart to give her a taunting smirk, "and my vines might just pull your legs and arms out of their sockets."_

 _A horrified gasp left her lips at his words. She took a moment to scrutinize him, realizing that from the determination and resolve in his gold orbs that he was dead serious about this. At the revelation, she stilled, lying there like a statue as his hand traveled up her thigh and disappeared into her skirt._

 _She shut her eyelids tight, whimpering at the feel of his tongue licking her cheek. But before she could tell him not to do that, she felt fingers touch her down_ _ **there**_ _. A moan involuntarily left her lips, and she felt him smirk against the skin of her jaw line. She didn't notice where his lips had gone next as his hand slid into her underwear, rubbing up and down her folds._

 _"_ _You're wet," he groaned, "For all that big talk, you actually really want me, don't you?" A heat pooled in his gold irises, as he leaned in. He gave a playful lick on her smooth neck, relishing in the way she jerked as he pushed one finger into her. "You're sluttish."_

 _"_ _No!" She hated how desperate she sounded. "I-I don't want this!"_

 _"_ _Liar," he growled, low and dangerous, before flicking his head up to meet her gaze. She looked away from his lustful stare, but he swiftly cupped her chin, forcing her head back so she would face him. They stared at each other silently for a moment, before he darted his eyes downwards. She had an inkling suspicion that he was staring at her breasts. "If I give you a hickey right here…" As if to respond to her musings, his free hand reached up and pawed the soft mound, "… no one would notice, right?"_

 _"_ _Or…" His hand slid up from her chest, brushing against her collarbone, before resting on her throat. He gave it a slight squeeze, surprising the girl who hadn't expected him to do that, "… should I give one right here?"_

 _He was taunting her, she knew, but she couldn't help the panic that forced her to let out the words, "No, please! Not there!" It nearly sounded as if she was begging him, and she despised herself for seeming so weak. Giving him what he wanted was the last thing on her list._

 _"_ _Afraid Koenma might see and ask you questions, hmm?" he hummed, his voice playful but mockingly sweet as it echoed in her ears._

 _"_ _Please, Youko…" she whispered, her whole body starting to shake. "I-I don't want any of this…" Her voice broke as she felt warm tears fall down her cheeks. "Stop it, I can't take all of this anymore…" She wasn't sure why she was so emotionally… affected. She was supposed to be used to this by now. It wasn't as if this was the first time he tried to break her. But… but, after what he'd done to Heiji… the tears just came out before she even knew it._

 _Botan gasped as he slid another finger inside her, pumping in and out of her in an agonizingly fast pace that immediately reduced her to a shivering, moaning mess. No, this was all wrong. She shouldn't be enjoying this. Her body shouldn't be enjoying this. Not when her heart was all torn apart. Not when the pleasure all came from the man she hated most. "Stop…" she begged for one last time before he silenced her with his lips._

 _"_ _You don't have a choice, ferry girl," he told her, his voice firm, serving as a warning as if reverberated against her mouth, "I'm going to have you, whether you like it or not."_

* * *

Botan shook her head violently as the memories flooded her mind. No, she didn't want to think of it. Not right now. Not in front of these people.

"You really are a fool," a cold voice spoke from behind her, bringing her out of her reverie.

When she turned and looked at the owner, it hit her that there was no one else beside her there – no one else but Hiei who was leaning against the wall, his crimson orbs ogling her. She parted her mouth, but did not find her voice.

"You should just give in," Hiei went on, before pushing himself off the wall. His eyelids fluttered close as he crossed his arms over his chest. "There's no use trying to run away from a fox, you know. The likes of him are known to be cunning and heartless. They're possessive creatures. Once you've caught a fox demon's attention, you're practically a goner forever. You'll never escape his grasp." His eyes finally opened to narrow at her in warning. " _Ever._ "

The ferry girl backed away from him, his words sinking in little by little and further frightening her of the impending doom that awaited her. "I-if you're trying to make me run off to him on my knees, begging, you're not succeeding," she shot back, albeit her voice was a tad too low for her comfort.

"Stupid girl. And here I was trying to warn you," he scoffed. "Well, not like you can do anything even if I told you, though," he added with a light smirk and shrugged his shoulders. There was a sadistic gleam that she had only seen in a demon's eye in Hiei's red irises. "I don't have to do anything, you know. _He_ will have you begging for his dick on his own, even if he has to break you."

Botan could have sworn she bristled. "Who the hell do you demons think you are? Talking like you're all high and mighty… He can do whatever he wants, but I'm not going to like him back, even if he breaks me!" she roared, before whirling around and stalking off, leaving the fire demon amused as he observed her walk away.

 _Well, I think I can see why he likes her. The woman has an iron grit_ , he mused, a smirk tugging at his lips. _Youko may have found his best challenge yet._ He turned the other way around, and in a split second, disappeared in a black blur.

* * *

"Oh, thank you," Koenma said to the blue haired ferry girl who stood mutely in front of him. His eyes were busy scanning the words written on the piece of paper before him, so he didn't notice the solemn look on her complexion. It wasn't until his gaze lifted that he eventually noted to himself that she seemed down than usual. "What's wrong, Botan? You don't look like yourself," he stated in a tone laced with worry.

Botan broke out of a trance as his voice reached her ears. She had been thinking about a certain fox… She hoped that she hadn't been spacing out too much. "Huh? Um, uh-huh!" She slipped back her mask, a smile, a façade she had used countless times to hide whatever that was upsetting her. She could feel it breaking lately, but quickly brushed off the thought.

"Are you sure? You don't seem okay…" Koenma seemed to consider something for a moment. "How about you take the day off?" he offered.

She blinked. "Huh?"

"Well, I figured you might be tired, so maybe you deserve some rest. Maybe I've been relying on you too much," he stated with a smile. He rarely showed his appreciation, but he was really grateful for all that she'd done for him. So, if in some way, her workload had been taking its toll on her physically, then he would be willing to allow her some rest. She earned it.

Botan thought over his suggestion. She never really considered asking for rest. Sure, her job could be tiring sometimes, but she loved doing it so much it uncommonly crossed her mind. She enjoyed cheering up the saddened spirits, much more when they thanked her for it. To her, seeing a smile on a soul's face was worth losing some of her energy. But, maybe she could take up his offer. She felt… emotionally drained, it would be difficult to focus on her ferry duties. Even her fellow ferry girls had been commenting on her worsened mood swings these days. She didn't want her mood to affect a dead soul. So, maybe this was for the best. For now. Besides, this could probably give her more time to sort the jumbled mess that was her mind.

She returned the Reikai prince's smile with a bright grin. "Yes, gladly, Koenma-sama! Thank you for your generosity," she beamed, bowing at him in gratitude.

He waved a hand at her dismissively. "No, no, don't mention it. Why are you talking to me so formally anyway? It almost sounds like you're drifting apart." He laughed.

Botan knew he meant the last sentence as a friendly joke, but she couldn't help but think that it was partly true. Because of Youko… Because she feared he would hurt them… she had been avoiding contact with a lot of her friends…

She tried not to let it show that Koenma's words slightly bothered her as she let out a giggle. "Sorry, guess I'm a bit tired. Thanks, Koenma. I really appreciate it," she said, before giving him one last bow as he excused her.

She spared the Reikai prince a fleeting glance before exiting his office.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** "I always get what I want," he murmured against the skin of her throat, but she was more focused on the warm hand trailing teasingly up her night dress. Good lord, what had she gotten herself into?

 **Chapter 6**

Botan was walking to her room when she accidentally bumped into Fuyumi.

She quickly turned the other way just in time for the purple haired ferry girl to spot her and stop her before she managed to escape. Botan felt a hand on her shoulder, tugging her and forcing her to whip around. She came face to face with Fuyumi's concerned gaze. She swiftly averted her eyes at somewhere else but Fuyumi.

"Hey," Fuyumi greeted, albeit the worry was evident in her voice, "Are you okay? You've been avoiding me a lot lately. Did I do something wrong?"

Botan, who had been preoccupied with avoiding eye contact, darted her gaze to her friend. Her eyes widened in alarm as she caught the expression Fuyumi wore; a look of fear, mingled with a sense of anxiety. "N-no! T-that's not it," she quickly said, her arms waving frantically in front of her. "I-I just… um…"

"Look, you've gotta tell me what's up with you. If you're not feeling well, or if there's some problems bothering you, then you know I'll always lend you an ear… Right?" Fuyumi gave her a reassuring smile as she uttered the last word.

Botan suddenly felt guilty for avoiding her. "Uh… well, you see, it's about Youko again… I don't know if you believe me, but—" She cut herself off when she finally noticed Fuyumi's blank stare. It didn't feel right. Her eyes were devoid from any emotion but confusion and curiosity. There was no anger or hatred as she mentioned the fox's name. Almost as if she forgot… all about him… No, that didn't come off right. It wasn't as if she forgot who Youko was, it was that she didn't remember the whole thing that had been going on with Botan and Youko. Although she had suspected it, Botan still found it odd. The others had the memories of Heiji erased, but Fuyumi had other memories wiped out as well… It couldn't be… _He knew I told her? But… how?!_ She suddenly felt nauseous. If Youko knew about Fuyumi, then who knows what else he could have figured out? It didn't matter what method he used to find out, but it was more of a matter that he did and what he would do then. Would he… do something to her… for telling Fuyumi what was happening between her and him? It wouldn't be weird if he did…

She would never admit it, but the terror was already creeping up her skin as she conjured up a few ways he could make her suffer a slow, painful death. After all, he was still a demon – and an S-class at that – and she was still a ferry girl. She wasn't that strong, compared to him. She would be digging her own grave if she tried to battle with him. She wasn't _that_ stupid. If anything, she knew that whatever Youko might do to her, she would have no choice but to accept it. She could never escape, he had his vines. And even if she did somehow manage to flee, she could never hide forever. He would always find her. He had his own ways that she probably could never think of. It frightened her to think of how powerful he really was, much more when he was calculative and intelligent, but she would never relent. She might be up against someone that could kill her by just summoning his death plants, but she would _never_ give in to his wishes. She would _never_ submit to him. Not to the likes of him. She'd rather die.

He could break her if he tried, but he would never have her begging to have him.

Never.

* * *

Botan was not surprised to see him in her room.

After having reassured Fuyumi that nothing weird was going on, she had decided not to drag her further into this pile of shit that was her messed up life right now. Her entire life was in chaos, and all because of the fox demon lounging languidly on the bed like he owned it. That was _her_ bed. This was _her_ room. He didn't have a right waltzing in and rest on what happened to be the place she sleeps on, especially not after everything he made her go through. But still, as irritating as it was, there was no element of surprise here. In fact, she would even go as far as saying she expected this.

Youko turned to look at her as the door slammed shut. He fixed a baffled gape as she turned to open the window, her back facing him.

"Bad day?" he asked innocently, as if he hadn't just murdered someone a week ago. It probably didn't have much affect on him as he already took a million of lives before Heiji's. It just disgusted her how easily he could act so nonchalant over it. But then, all demons were.

She didn't bother to justify his question with a reply, and instead walked over to the desk seated beside the bed, sat on the chair, and wrapped her arms together and placed them on the desk. She ignored the shuffling sounds of Youko shifting his position, most likely sitting up from the bed with his gaze glued on her. Sighing softly, Botan buried her face in her arms, trying to somehow forget everything that had happened up until now.

But, as if the heavens forbade her to forget, a clawed hand instantly found her wrist, tugging and forcing her to stand from the chair. Before she knew it, she was already staring back at a pair of glaring gold.

"What are you—"

"You've got a lot of nerve, don't you?" His cold voice cut her short. "For a ferry girl, that is."

"What did you expect me to do? Go all gaga over you after you've killed a man?" she snapped, harshly tugging her wrist out of his grasp. However, just as she managed to break free, his arm reached behind her, encircling tightly around her small waist before pulling her supple figure flushed against the hard contours of his form.

She shot him a heated glare, but his only response was a mere smirk. "My, you act as if I've never done this before." Botan was vividly aware of his other hand trailing its way down her spine and to her right hip. His fingers squeezed and she nearly jumped at the feel. "If that's all it takes to surprise you, then you are startlingly naïve about demons, peony."

The ferry girl curled her hands into fists, punching them against his alabaster chest. She pushed, hit and shoved, but he wouldn't let go. He just stood there, holding her with that stoic expression on his features, as if it didn't hurt. Of course, it didn't. He was a demon, she was a ferry girl, a few punches from her would feel more like an insect bite than anything else. But, looking back at the blank look in his irises, she couldn't help but feel how utterly useless she was.

"That's _not_ the problem," she whispered, finally giving up as her arms felled limply to her sides.

"Then, what is?" he questioned calmly, before nuzzling his nose against her jaw line, inhaling the scent of her hair.

She attempted to ignore the ticklish sensation, but her body was already trembling before she could stop it. It took her a moment to realize it when he suddenly bent, and grabbed the back of her knees. She almost let out a startled gasp, her instincts roaring at her to struggle. But, she dared not move. Due to fear he might actually throw her into a wall if she did. The look in his eyes told her that he would not hesitate, serving as a fair warning to her not to do anything foolish.

"Y-You did all that…" she started when she recalled what they were currently discussing about, "… because you were jealous. Y-you killed Heiji because…"

"Because of you, did I not?" he cruelly finished for her, his eyes flashing at her as he settled her on the bed. She felt a pang of remorse and shame stab at her chest, coiling like a snake around her heart as the truth of his words echoed in her mind. "Wasn't it originally your fault? You were the one who tried to lead him on so you could get rid of me, weren't you?" he stated more than asked, his tone completely neutral, but she could detect an underlying anger.

"I-I didn't think you would actually go for it." Botan couldn't even budge a muscle as he began to crawl on the bed, pinning her on the mattress with his legs intertwined with hers. His silver locks felled like curtains as it cascaded down her face, and she almost averted her gaze from his piercing, soul-searching orbs. It scared her to think that he might be looking right through her. "Kill him, I mean," She briefly sounded an audible gulp, "I mean, I suspected that you would. But, I didn't know you would literally go _that_ far just for me…"

For a second, she could have sworn she caught a hint of hurt in his gold eyes, before it quickly dissipated, replaced by a darkness so deep she feared it would devour her. "Did you think that my desires for you are just a game? Something you can toy around with?" he growled, his sharp fangs showing as he bared his teeth at her. "You don't mess with demons, Botan. We are highly dangerous and completely heartless beings. It's about time you learn we're not kind and compassionate. We can never be. We are called monsters by humans and your kind for a reason."

The girl felt an odd guilt that crept up her skin as she eyed the fox. Of course she knew that. But she acted too stupidly. She had figured that for a demon that possessed Koenma's trust, Youko would never resort to anything out of line. But as he said, it was about time she realized that they were all the same.

"… Well, I can't exactly blame everything on you," she murmured, acknowledging the words that escaped her lips as the undeniable truth, "I mean, you're right. It was all my fault."

For once, she saw that he was pleased. "Well, at least you learned something." He relished in the shiver he elicited from her as he grabbed her legs, hooking them around his hips. He bent low enough just for her to feel his covered erection rubbing against her, the throbbing appendage straining in the white pants he wore, growing hard against her kimono. She almost moaned at the pleasure that rocketed through her entire being, but succeeded to stifle the sound as she bit down on her lip. He smirked, amused at her reaction. "Do well to remember this, Botan," he whispered, his voice like a soft lullaby as it traveled to her ears, "Demons are capable of doing anything. Especially ones who are categorized in S-Class, much more when they're fox demons." It took her only a moment to put two and two together and realized he was referring to himself. "I'm one of the most dangerous, infamous demons there is out there in Makai. Other demons fear me, they cower at the sight of me. That's why you have to remember…" He narrowed his eyes, the smirk wavering from his lips, reducing to a thin line as he spoke in a low voice, "… don't mess with me. Unless you want to be broken. I could even kill you if I want to. If I can't have you, then no one else can," he growled, before leaning in to slam his lips on hers.

She turned her face the other way just in time to avoid the kiss, forcing him to settle with a small peck on her cheek instead. She grimaced. She expected him to break her sooner or later, but to think he would actually resort to murder… A chill went down her spine, and she couldn't resist the overwhelming fear filling each vein her entire body. "You are cruel," she tried to sound furious, only to scream in her mind when she came off fragile instead.

Youko sniffed the air, inhaling the sweet scent of her terror. He sighed, contented that he was in charge. A smirk crossed his lips as he cupped a finger at her chin, harshly tugging her head back to meet his dark, lustful stare. "Demons are born to be cruel. That's why we adept to reality. Unlike you reigens who cling to the idea of happiness and tranquility with every chance you happen to acquire."

Truth be told, Botan didn't mind his words; they were somewhat true, in a way. Reigens _did_ cling to the idea of happiness and tranquility. It was something sort of in their nature to desire peace in all of three worlds, despite knowing that such a thing was bordering on impossible. But, it was the tone that laced his voice that bothered and not to mention, offended her. So mocking she already felt the anger burning her sides with a deep loathing she never thought she could possess. Even so, she was aware that she had to put aside her own personal feelings for now, as something else was bugging her for quite some time now.

"How did you do it?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper as it was let out into the air.

He lifted his head from her neck, stopping his ministrations of nipping the soft flesh there as he pinned a curious gape at her. She stared back at him, her expression serious and her eyes stern.

"Do what exactly?" he probed gently as he curled a strand of blue hair with a clawed finger.

Botan parted her lips, trying to come up with something to explain. But, after a short pause, she decided that she should just go out on a limb. "Erase their memories, I mean."

He seemed uncaring as he shrugged one shoulder lightly, more focused on tugging her obi out of the way than the conversation, really. "Well, it isn't that hard but it isn't that simple either. All I have to do is summon a plant that could wipe off memories. I can even choose whose memories I want to erase. I chose everyone but you and my fellow demon companions when I decided to erase Reikai's memories of that little troublemaker, Heiji. It hadn't been so difficult. Just a few chants and a bunch of words. But, it does take up a lot of my energy. Some of which is my life energy," he elaborated the last part calmly, as if he was merely talking about the weather and not his own life. Botan broadened her eyes in shock.

"Y-your life energy?! I-isn't that dangerous?" she said in a frantic voice.

Youko couldn't help but smirk as he observed her, seeing the worry mingled with anxiety that reflected in her pools of amethysts. He found it amusing, yet awfully endearing, how she always managed to seem so naïve but pure with her concerns over those who quite frankly, didn't deserve it – those that included him. But, it became all the more reason he wanted – no, _needed_ – to have her.

"Well, at the price of keeping everyone else out of my way and having a blue haired ferry girl all to myself, I'd say it was worth it. I would even do it again if I have to. You know I would."

She couldn't believe that he would go so far just for the sake of a puny ferry girl such as herself. She didn't deserve it… not that she wanted it. But, matters of the life were important. He could actually die if he kept doing it. But, she knew if she prevented him from pushing himself too much, he would listen… Probably.

"Then… what about Fuyumi?"

"What about her?"

"How did you know… about how I told her of you…" she trailed off as she saw his features grew fierce.

"I'm not stupid, ferry girl. I have my own methods."

She bit the inside of her cheek. She should have expected that kind of answer from him. "B-but, you took away all her memories… about it…" she tried.

"What else was I supposed to do? She was in the way, I had to do it." There was a glint as his fangs showed with the sadistic grin he sported. "Or did you want me to end her pathetic life?"

At the taunt, Botan nearly propped herself up with her elbows, only to have her abruptly pushed down on the bed once more. She opened her shaky lips. "N-no, of course not…" she whispered, her voice breaking slightly, and she shook her head violently from side to side.

Her whole body was quivering; quivering so much she momentarily thought she was actually vibrating. She wasn't sure why; whether it was due to the pleasure of his covered cock rubbing against her sensitive jewel between her legs, or the terrifying prospect of him murdering one of her good friends, but she quivered nonetheless.

He seemed to enjoy seeing her shake. "So, you see? I only chose the path that would hurt you less. I was being considerate."

Botan was utterly baffled. "C-considerate?" she echoed in an incredulous tone. "That wasn't considerate, you jerk! I-it was uncalled for…" she cried, before inhaling a deep, shaky breath. "But, I guess…" she started, and gulped, "compared to murder, it is far pleasant…" she murmured, heaving a mental sigh of relief at the thought. At least, Fuyumi didn't have to lose her life like Heiji did. That alone was more than enough.

He smirked. "See? Considerate," he repeated, and buried his head on her neck, his mouth trailing from her collarbone to her shoulder, his hand pushing the sleeve off of her as his lips continued to trail lower and lower down her arm.

"Do you even love me?" Botan found herself asking before she could stop herself. She felt his mouth still just as it reached the top of her breast.

"What?" He seemed taken aback.

"To do all this…" She had to take a breath. "Do you really love me that much? Or… or are you just taking some sick amusement over watching my torment?"

There was a strange gleam, something that she couldn't quite interpret, in his eyes all of a sudden. It didn't feel dangerous, nor did it offer her comfort. It was just… odd.

"I would not deny that I do feel a sadistic pleasure as I watch others' sufferings," he started, his gaze never leaving her face, as if seeking for a reaction. "But, not yours. All this I'm doing are merely means of getting what I want." He smirked. "Love? I don't _love_. I am a demon. Demons are incapable of loving anyone. So, no, Botan, I do not love you." He studied the beautiful shade of her purple irises, finding himself drowning in them. His gold eyes turned dark, making him almost look predatory, but lustful regardless. "But…" he whispered, leaning until his mouth was hovering above her ear, "I do know I lust after you. And I want you. Not just for a night, but for forever. I want to keep you here, by my side, for as long as it'll take."

"Isn't that love?" she murmured, but he didn't respond. When he was unresponsive, she went on, "You'll tire of me eventually. Lust can be satiated, and it will disappear in due time. Once you have enough of me, you will throw me away. I won't be of much value then as you consider me now. You'll tire of me. One day, Youko, one day…" She didn't know what she was saying, but she had to let him know, that whatever he was dragging her into, he'd better not leave her alone to deal with it by herself. If she was going to suffer through this, he was going to suffer with her. If he really wanted her, then he'd damn well mean it.

She could have sworn she'd never seen so much resolve in a man's eyes, at least not one that could compare with what was reflected in Youko's gold.

"Never," he growled, "I'm never letting you go."

Botan found herself unable to move, somewhat mesmerized by the smoldering gold peeking from his long eyelashes, as she felt her kimono slowly slide down her body…


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** "I always get what I want," he murmured against the skin of her throat, but she was more focused on the warm hand trailing teasingly up her night dress. Good lord, what had she gotten herself into?

 **Chapter 7**

A tall, muscular silhouette of a man sat up from the bed, the light from the moon accentuating the darkness in the room as he gave out a soft sigh. Fox ears twitched a little at the top of a silver head, and shut eyelids fluttered open, revealing a pair of glimmering gold. His left ear perked up at the sound of a low moan echoing in the air. He turned his gaze to the sleeping woman beside him, her face serene and her blue tresses falling all over the pillow as her chest heaved up and down in time with her steady breathing. He studied her, drinking in the sight of her naked torso, before reaching out to grab the sheets and pull it up to cover her. He hesitated, but then, slowly, gently, glided his fingers from her shoulders to her neck before finally resting on her pale but warm cheek, his touch featherlike as it brushed against her skin. A rare, genuine smile grazed his lips as he watched her unconsciously lean into his palm.

Youko stared at her, keeping his hand there for only a moment, until a second after, he slowly pulled apart, shaking his head as if he had just snapped out of a trance. He was busy eyeing the moonlight that shone through the balcony, when he felt a tingling sensation on his back. It didn't hurt much, it felt more like a bee sting, but instead of ignoring it like he usually would, he reached his fingers to lightly touch at the little gashes that marred his back. The blood had dried, he noticed.

Either Botan was naturally wild in bed, or it had been some kind of silent protest, this marks had been caused by her. He wasn't sure if he should be turned on or horrified. Usually, he'd love the feel of a woman's rosy nails digging into his skin and dragging on his back, leaving bloody tracks in its wake. But this time, he was uncertain if it was the same case. Unlike all those scratches he earned due to arousal and pleasure elicited from females, Botan's had been furious. He didn't know why he could tell, but he just could. She didn't do it for the sake of his pleasure, but only for the reason to make it harder for him. Sex with her, as enjoyable as it had been, felt… lifeless. Yes, she had given herself to him. But… it wasn't willing. Not really, anyway. It wasn't because she wanted to; it was because she knew she had to. She was a smart girl, she was aware that he would resort to hurting her friends if she didn't give him what he longed for. As happy as he should be, he wasn't. He wanted her not only all hot and bothered, but to put her whole heart and mind into it. There was no mental stimulation; it just felt like another one of those night stands… except he was left satiated but frustrated. No strings attached, no feelings; she just lied there, letting him do whatever he wanted to… stoic, docile and emotionless like a lifeless doll. It scared him, it nearly felt like she was slipping out of his fingers.

Even though he admitted to her that he only lusted over her, he wouldn't deny that he harbored a deeper affection for her… attraction sounded accurate, but it felt so much more than that. He wouldn't go as far as calling it love, though. After all, what is love? Nothing but an emotion those pathetic humans and prejudice reigens recklessly jumped into. Love made people hurt. It made people weak. And he would rather die before he'd allow such a ridiculous feeling to intrude his heart. So, no, there was no love. At least, he hoped so. After all, he was a demon. His kind did not love. They didn't know what love was; they had never experienced it. Most demons never even had the chance to be showered with affection from their so-called parents. One of those most demons was him. Makai was a dangerous place; like a jungle, it was killed or be killed. No one cared about anyone but themselves. It was a life all demons were already adept to, something that had been carved into his soul and his body for ages, leaving him detached of all deeper emotions that he considered a drag down.

But right now, scrutinizing the ferry girl before him, he seriously began to doubt it. Momentarily, he tried to brush off that thought, telling himself not to be careless, only to have himself plagued by them the more he tried to be rid of them. His mind and his heart bickered for the first time, both wanting and ordering him to do different things. Unknowing how he should progress from now on, Youko just sat there mutely, gazing at Botan as she slept there soundly. He realized all of a sudden that he had been wrong about a lot of things. One of them being his desire for her.

Aside from her obvious incomparable beauty, her purity and innocence were what drew him in at first. Initially, he figured that it would be a challenge to change her into those other slutty ferry girls who would literally beg on their knees for him to fuck them, to see what it would be and feel like if he corrupted her slowly but gradually. He had wanted to taint her pure soul black with his own touch of darkness, but right now, he wasn't sure if he wanted that anymore. He had told himself that he would desire no purity in the hellhole he called his life, because something with so much divinity would hold no meaning to him. But, _she w_ as different. He wanted to have her. He wanted everything. Her mind, body _and_ soul. That included her klutziness, naivety and of course, innocence. Three of the things he would consider at the top of his hated lists… but now he so desperately wanted to possess all those things about her. He would take his time. Maybe it would be hard, but he would do it. He would stop at nothing to achieve what he wanted. Everything would go his way, as always. She was no different. She might be refusing to submit at the present, but someday, he would make her give in. He could break her, mend her, hurt her, and love her all at the same time, and do it all over again.

She wouldn't stand a chance.

* * *

"And when you're done with that, can you go and get me some tea? I'm feeling thirsty, all of a sudden," Koenma's voice echoed in the air of his office, as he gestured absent mindedly at Botan.

She nodded her head dutifully. "Yes, sir," she answered, all the while tugging at the top of her kimono in an attempt to hide the hickey on her neck. She cursed the fox demon. She didn't remember him leaving the love bite on her skin the night before… perhaps he did it when she was asleep; something that aggravated her nerves.

Well, at least she didn't have to wake up to the sight of his smirking face and his staring gold eyes. The minute she had awoken, he was already gone. She was thankful over the fact that she didn't have to deal with him in the morning, but at the same time, somewhat feeling neglected that he had left her without saying anything – a thought she tried to push away.

"Hey, Koenma?"

Koenma looked up from his paperwork to peer at the ferry girl who stood before him. Her amethyst eyes harbored a touch of curiosity, mingled with a skeptical look. Seeing the expression on her complexion, the Reikai prince regarded her with a questioning eyebrow arched her way.

"Youko Kurama…" There was a pause. "What's the nature of your relationship with him, if I may ask?"

He furrowed his brows at the question. "As I have told you before, I owe him my life. Did I not mention that?"

Botan bit her lip, uncertain for a moment if she should be asking this. At first, she didn't really give it much thought, believing that the fox was somehow a good person – but that was before he started harassing her. Now, the curiosity and bafflement were getting the better of her, and she couldn't help but inquire: How was her boss so trusting towards such a cruel beast?'

"I-I know that," she responded after a long silence, "It's just that… I mean, you said he saved your life. How did that happen?"

Koenma quirked an eyebrow at her once more, as if wondering why she was asking this now. A moment after though, he shrugged it off. Well, if she wanted to know, there was no harm in telling her. Sucking on his pacifier, the Reikai prince mused over the correct words, before leaning in his chair.

"Remember when I told you that I was once sent to Makai during my eleventh birthday?" he asked, to which she nodded her response. "And, like I said before, it was some sort of training my father gave me in his efforts to raise me into a suitable and powerful ruler." He tried to squash the lonely and painful memories that abruptly flooded his head as he went on, "Well, I never really told you much about that time other than those two things I mentioned. But, at the time, I was having a really hard time surviving. I was all alone, I didn't have food, and I was constantly being chased by demons." He paused, taking a moment to look at her reaction. He knew Botan could see that he was in pain, and he could tell she felt sorry for him. He smiled, as if trying to reassure her that he was alright. "Well, one day, after a week of trying to survive in the woods of Makai, I was attacked by a bunch of B-class demons. I tried to run away, but one of them managed to shoot an arrow through my leg, leaving me defenseless and unable to walk. I thought I was going to die, but then… Youko came. He rescued me, and gave me a place to stay at one of the houses in his territory. He was nice. He still is. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be sitting here." There was a small smile on his lips as he finished his tale, as if he was reminiscing.

Botan took a second to register his words, finding it unbelievable, but also somewhat touched and astonished, that the fox demon had been kind enough to help Koenma as much as he did. No wonder Koenma trusted him so much. But, she pondered if there was still such kindness in him as there had been then. It was hard to accept that the one who helped Koenma and the demon who had consistently sexually molested her for the past months could coexist together. They were two different beings and yet they were the same.

And then, suddenly it hit her that she didn't really know much about Youko Kurama, after all.

* * *

"Where were you all night?"

Hiei's voice spat at the silver haired demon who had just slid open the door. Youko didn't justify his question with an answer, and merely took of his white tunic, throwing it on the bed before flopping down on a chair. Hiei watched as Youko ran a hand through his silky tresses, his annoyance fading as he noticed his companion's odd behavior. He was awfully quiet, and it wasn't like his usual playful self. Curiosity piqued, the fire demon stood up from his bed; the room he shared with Kurama and the bat demon, Kuronue, echoing as his footsteps landed on the cold floor.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"If you're pissed because I skipped the meeting, I get it, but I'm not really in the mood right now, Hiei," came Youko's monotous response.

A frown appeared on Hiei's forehead, marring his features. "Hey, are you okay? You're acting weird," he stated, eyeing the fox for any hints of what it was that was bothering him. All he could sense was Youko's uneasiness, which seemed to unnerve him. If something was discomforting Youko, then it must be something important. It wasn't until he sniffed the air, did Hiei realize what it was.

"You have her scent," Hiei stated once again, watching as Youko's swishing tail stilled at his words. "You were in her room."

" _So_?" Youko scoffed. "Are you going to lecture me about how irresponsible I am for screwing ferry girls during an important meeting?"

Hiei ignored Youko's snappy response as he flopped back on his bed again, his crimson orbs studying the fox demon. Youko stared back with an irritated look, his arms crossed over his alabaster chest and his ears twitching with annoyance. Both were silent, Youko waiting for him to say something and Hiei seeming to consider something.

"You're confused," Hiei spoke, cutting through the uncomfortable silence, "There's something about her that's bothering you."

Youko's body turned into a rigid line. For a moment, the fox wondered if his friend was using his mind reading abilities on him again. But, Hiei wouldn't do that. He knew Youko didn't agree with him reading his thoughts without permission. Besides, the fire demon's Jagan eye was not opened, indicating that his words earlier had been mere deduction.

Regardless, it _did_ hit the mark.

"I'm _not_ confused," Youko bluffed, sounding another scoff, "Why should I be? I want her; it's just as simple as that."

"Yes," Hiei nodded, brows furrowing in frustration. Youko was his friend; he was intelligent, and strong. He had qualities that Hiei admired in a partner. But, sometimes he was too stubborn for his own good. Hiei was tempted to read through Youko's mind, but decided against it. "And yet, there's something more going on."

Gold irises rolled in annoyance. "Yeah, sure, and you know that because?"

"I can tell, you fool," Hiei snorted, copying the fox's actions as he rolled his eyes. "It's not as if I don't know you, Youko. I've known your pathetic ass for decades. And I can tell when there's something wrong. You obviously have something on your mind."

"No, I don't. And even if I do, why would you think that it has something to do with Botan?"

"Because everything has something to with her nowadays," came Hiei's blunt remark, "She's gotten under your skin."

When he saw Youko flinch, he knew he hit the jackpot.

But, the question was, what could bothering Youko? The fox didn't care about anything, and even if he did, he would never let it show. Youko claimed he only lusted after Botan, but his desires clearly ran deeper than Hiei thought possible if the fox was letting something revolving around the ferry girl bother him so much to the point of involuntarily showing it in front of the fire demon.

Hiei paused in his musings.

Unless…

"You _care_ about her," he blurted out.

When Youko was unresponsive, Hiei knew he was right.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** "I always get what I want," he murmured against the skin of her throat, but she was more focused on the warm hand trailing teasingly up her night dress. Good lord, what had she gotten herself into?

 **Chapter 8**

"Stop," Botan hissed, "I mean it, Youko, _stop_."

The fox in question lifted his head from between her legs, licking the remnants of her nectar off his lips as he fixed an irritated stare on the girl's form pinned under him. "What now?" he asked impatiently.

Botan heaved a sigh, looking down at where she suspected he was. The blindfold that covered her eyes blocked her view from seeing anything but the dark, but she could have sworn she felt him shift.

"I need to go," she whispered, but she knew he heard her, "I have a soul to ferry."

A feral growl sounded in the air. "Why do _you_ have to do it? Why can't you ask someone else?" His statement came off sounding more like an order than a question. Nonetheless, he reached the back of her head, tugging the blindfold up and off her head.

The ferry girl blinked to clear the blurriness from her sight as she focused it on Youko. She propped herself up on her elbows as the fox moved from his position on top of her. "Because it's _my_ duty. I'm a ferry girl; it's my job to guide the poor souls to where they rightfully belong."

"They're already dead," he cruelly uttered, giving her a deadpanned look. "They're not going anywhere."

He wasn't completely caught off guard, nor did he dodge, when her arm shot up and her hand slapped his cheek, the sound of skin smacking against skin echoing in the room and rattling the walls.

He touched a hand on his cheek, tracing the sore spot with his index and middle fingers. He heard her soft padding footsteps rushing on the floor, followed by the loud slamming of the door.

"Ouch."

* * *

"Hello there."

The floating girl with long brown hair turned her green irises to peer at the owner of the cheery voice. She was greeted by the sight of a smiling girl, her blue hair, tied in a ponytail, was similar to that of the shade of the sky. Her green orbs glinted in mirth as she scanned her up and down, noting the pink kimono and the wooden oar she was riding on.

"Are you the Grim Reaper?" she questioned.

Botan couldn't resist the urge to broaden the quirk of her lips. This girl seemed calmer than she expected. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, though. She remembered the time of her death, before she became a ferry girl; she had been chaotic than the dead soul before her was, lost and confused as to what had happened to her. It hadn't been until Koenma appeared and explained to her what was going on did she finally calm down, albeit only for a bit. Botan shook her head lightly to brush off the memories – now wasn't the time to reminisce. Ignoring the curious look the dead girl was sending her, she took her trusted notebook from her obi, flipping the pages to find what she was searching for.

"Ah, found it," she beamed as she studied the contents. "Akiko Tsukimori. Age, sixteen. Died after being stabbed by your ex-boyfriend's jealous lover," she read. As her eyes scanned the words written on the piece of paper, Botan couldn't help but momentarily recall Youko. She inwardly shook her head in her efforts to bury the thought of him in the deepest part of her mind. Her mouth curled upwards into a grin. "Possessive much, huh?" she joked, in an attempt to ease the tension a little.

She caught a smirk on Akiko's lips. "The crazy bitch? Yeah, she is," she scoffed.

A giggle poured out Botan's lips, as she found herself somewhat amused by her bluntness. "You hate her, don't you?"

Akiko gave a light shrug of her shoulder. "Not as much as I pity her."

Botan quirked an eyebrow at her curiously. "Pity?" she echoed in wonder, receiving a nod in return.

"For having that asshole as a boyfriend, I mean," Akiko said, causing the ferry girl to burst into another fit of laughter.

"I see," she murmured with a smile lingering at the corners of her lips as her laughter died down in the air. She blinked when Akiko was unresponsive, watching the brown haired girl as she stared at something from beneath her. She followed her gaze, eventually understanding what the girl had been gazing at. "That's him, isn't it?" she asked, although she already knew the answer.

Akiko nodded once more, but said nothing.

"You loved him, didn't you?" Botan went on, shifting her eyes to the dead girl. She could have sworn she saw the pools of green water, as if the owner was on the verge of breaking into tears. Wanting to offer some comfort, Botan flew closer to Akiko, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Strange, but I think I still do," Akiko murmured, her voice breaking at the end of her sentence. A single tear cascaded down her left cheek, forming a wet track on her skin. "He was a jerk to me, but I think he loved me as well. He didn't show it, but I kind of knew. I could tell." Her words came more casually now, as she gained a bit of composure, Botan's patting on her back having a soothing effect on her.

Botan nodded her head in understanding; she probably didn't have a relationship as serious as this girl did, but she had her own share of lovers in her past and present life. She felled for them too, so she felt for the girl. If only for a bit, because she had never opened her heart truly and completely for anyone.

"It's weird, isn't it? Love, I mean." Akiko smiled bitterly. "Even though you know that all the other person is going to do is hurt you, you still care, you still keep on hoping, you still love them. It's painful, but you never learn."

"Love is a complicated feeling," Botan added wistfully. "It breaks your heart, but you still cling to it. You still wish for it."

Akiko rotated her head to the right to study the ferry girl. "Have you been in love?"

Botan grinned. "Once or twice. But, it never gets too deep, I'm afraid. I… I don't want to get hurt," she admitted in all honesty. What was she saying? She was never good at expressing herself in regards of her feelings; she was used to keeping them to herself – and yet, it felt easy talking to Akiko. Although they had just met, Botan felt as if she had known her forever. Perhaps they had gone through the same thing in their respective lives; perhaps that was why Botan felt so comfortable with her.

"What about now? Do you still have a boyfriend?" Akiko's curious voice inquired at her, bringing her out of her reverie.

Botan blinked. She thought about it for a moment, but the only person that came into her mind was Youko. He wasn't exactly her lover, nor was he in any way loving. He didn't love her, either. But, he was the closest thing to a boyfriend.

A nervous giggle erupted from her throat. "It isn't much of an emotional relationship… than it is physical."

There was a look of understanding in Akiko's forest green orbs. "Oh, I see." She laughed. "I get it, I've had a couple of those before."

Botan smiled at her words, but uttered nothing out in response. She turned her gaze to the window, her smile widening a little at the scene that unfolded before her. "You know, Akiko-chan," she started, "I think your ex still loves you as much as he did before. I mean, look," She pointed a finger at the window, "he's crying."

"Huh?" Akiko blinked, her eyes widening in surprise. She quickly turned her head to the window, realizing that the ferry girl was saying the truth. The boy before her sat curled up on a chair, a few tracks of tears falling down his cheeks uncontrollably. Speechless, Akiko floated there in the air with her mouth hung open slightly, watching him as he cried. A few moments passed, and then a warm smile found its way to her lips. The girl didn't say anything, but Botan could tell she was happy and perhaps, also contented.

"Do you want to stay a little longer?" she questioned in a soft voice, giving Akiko the clue that she wouldn't mind it even if she did.

The brown haired girl shook her head. "No, it's fine." Her smile broadened a little. "I think I'm ready to go now."

"Well, alright then." Botan scooted a bit to allow a bit of space on her oar. She patted a hand at the spot beside her, gesturing the other girl to sit. Akiko did as she was told, a contented sigh leaving her lips as she spared a final fleeting glance at her ex, before shifting her gaze towards the sky as Botan began to fly the oar higher and higher.

"Hey," she called all of a sudden, after some time of comfortable silence. "What's your name?"

Botan was startled at the question. It had been years since the souls she'd guided asked her of her name. It was considered unnecessary most of the time, as they wouldn't be able to meet a second time, anyway. Regardless, Botan smiled, and answered,

"It's Botan."

Akiko returned her smile, and for once, Botan could see a look of true satisfaction and absolute joy in her eyes. It was ironic – even though she was dead, Akiko seemed _alive_.

Then, came her words,

"Thank you, Botan."

* * *

"Wai—" Botan was silenced as Youko's hot mouth crushed hers, muffling the sounds of her protests. His hand tugged at her loose obi, letting her pink kimono glide down her supple form and onto the floor. He broke off the kiss to study her, drinking in the sight of her naked flesh; her plump breasts heaving up and down in an enticing manner that caused his fingers to twitch as he imagined himself palming the soft mounds.

"Figures," Botan's scoffing voice reverberated in his ears, capturing his attention and he flicked his dark gold to her flushed face. "It's so like you to do this the moment I return."

He didn't respond at once, but she could clearly see the amused smirk that curved at the edge of his lips. She felt his warm hand trail down teasingly and slowly down her smooth stomach, and unconsciously arched her back in anticipation as it went lower and lower… until his fingers found the jewel between her legs.

She threw her head back, the soft thumping of her skull against the wall barely registering in her mind as he pumped two of his fingers in and out of her wet cavern in an agonizingly slow pace. A moan erupted from her lips when his fingers suddenly curled inside her. Youko attached his lips on her throat, sucking on the porcelain skin.

"You're still as sensitive as the first time I touched you," he murmured, before darting his tongue out to lick at her neck. She shivered at the feel, her hands clenching as he quickened his pace, sliding his fingers in and out of her faster and harder now. "Come on, say my name. Scream it so everyone knows you're mine," he growled, abruptly adding a third finger into her womanhood, relishing in her loud mewl as he continued his ministrations.

"Ah—ah," Botan whimpered as he thrusted and hooked his fingers inside her. She turned her head to the right, avoiding his smoldering gaze as her mouth hung open in pleasure.

A smile tugged at his lips. "Still as stubborn as ever," he commented on her refusal to cry his name. "Never mind, I'll just have to force it out of you." He leaned down to place his mouth on her left breast, kissing at the soft flesh before wrapping around her rosy bud. At the same time, he flicked his thumb up and down her clit, her loud cry of his name causing him to smirk as she arched her back, her hands flying to his shoulders in an attempt to keep herself from slumping to the floor.

He suckled on her nipple, before parting his lips and darting his tongue out to lick on the sensitive bud. He furiously flicked the wet appendage up and down her nipple, relishing in her breathy pants and shaky cries of his name, as he continued to pleasure her. His mouth wrapped around her nipple once again, and her fingers dug into his bare shoulders as he gave a harsh suck.

Youko pulled apart, her nipple slipping out of his lips in a wet, flopping 'pop'. He felt her walls clamped tightly around his fingers, her body quivering as she came, the strong orgasm overriding her senses. He slid his fingers out of her, a half whine escaping her lips at the feeling of lost she earned in return.

"Y-Youko…" she whispered in a breathy pant.

Without saying a word to her, Youko grabbed the back of her knees, hoisting her up in the air, and hooking her legs around his shoulders. Her eyes widened in surprise as it hit her of what he planned to do.

"W-wait, Youko, I'm still sensitive— _ngh_ …" Her protests were cut short, reducing to a loud moan as his mouth found her dripping pussy. She grabbed a fistful of his silver mane, unsure whether she wanted to push him away or pull him deeper. She wondered briefly if it was wrong to enjoy this as much as she did, especially after everything he'd done, but all doubts were thrown out of the window as his tongue brushed against her wet lips, her eyes drooping close as the pleasure rocketed through her body.

Youko thrusted hard and fast into her with quick, shallow strokes, the taste of her juices melting on his tongue and trickling down his chin. Her moans and screams were like music to his ears as he continued to love her with his tongue. Pulling the wet appendage out of her, he turned his head upwards and began to furiously flick her sensitive nub, her fingers clenching at his hair so hard it almost hurt, but he didn't mind. He grabbed her hips, careful with his claws, as he pulled her impossibly closer.

Unconsciously, Botan bucked her hips wildly against his face, aching for more. But, before she could come close to coming, he unwrapped her legs from his shoulders, dropping her gently to the ground. Botan's eyelids fluttered open and she blinked when she felt her feet touch the cold floor.

"Youko…?"

She looked up at him to see him gazing down at her with a predatory, lustful gleam in his beautiful pair of gold. "You're addicting, you know that?" he whispered all of a sudden, his voice husky, and his breathing heavy as he crushed her hips against his, groaning as her wetness pressed against the bulge in his pants.

Botan threw her head back and moaned as she felt her grow hard against her clit. He rocked against her roughly, slamming her ass against the wall with each thrust and causing the girl to cry out. Her eyes had shut close once more, and he stared at her.

She opened her eyes again as his low voice said, "I like the look of pleasure on your face." He placed a finger on her chin, tilting her head upwards to force her to meet his gaze. Botan gulped as Youko gave her a seductive smirk. "Face flushing bright red, your mouth hung apart, and your brows frowning in frustration… I can't get enough of it." He leaned in until their mouths were mere inches from each other, his hot breath fanning over her lips as he teased, "The way your back arch as I touch you… and the moans of pleasure that escape your honey-dew lips… Have you started to enjoy this?"

The crimson shade on her cheeks deepened as her eyes broadened in shock at his words. Unsure whether she should be taken aback or ashamed at herself, Botan clamped her mouth shut, trying hard not to say anything, even as his hand was tracing lazy circles on her small back.

Youko's smirk widened as his words met with silence. No matter how hard he tried to get her to beg, she just wouldn't give in. How obstinate. But, that was okay. He had no doubt that she would submit – sooner or later, she would find it futile to keep on resisting him.

"You can keep quiet for now for now, Botan," he growled, as he began to take off his pants, the piece of clothing falling to the floor and he kicked it away. "But, by the time I'm done with you, you'd be begging me to take you."


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** "I always get what I want," he murmured against the skin of her throat, but she was more focused on the warm hand trailing teasingly up her night dress. Good lord, what had she gotten herself into?

 **Chapter 9**

"Hey, Youko-chan…"

Youko peered down at the ferry girl hugging his arm with an uninterested look. Her plump breasts pressed against his hard chest, the top of her yellow kimono hanging a bit too low and baring her cleavage to his eyes. Ah… another day and another boring woman looking to screw him.

"Can we do it here?" she slurred her words, her voice annoying as it reached his ears. "It'd be exciting; trust me."

His mouth tugged to form an amused, crooked grin. Public sex? Tempting, but not quite. Without uttering a word to her, the fox tugged his arm out of her hold in a harsh manner, the irritation rolling off of him as he turned and started to march the other way.

"Where the hell are you going?" her roar echoed in the air, and he halted in his tracks, spinning around to look at her. She had her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes glowering at him. Youko found the image hilarious. If the woman thought she could scare him, then she was barking at the wrong tree.

"Back to my room," he said dryly, "I've tired of you."

He could have sworn the girl bristled. "Huh?! Tired of me? After everything we'd done, you're saying you're bored of me?" she cried incredulously. She couldn't believe it; all the man she had slept with never, _ever_ complained about her skills in regards to sexual intercourse. There was _no way_ this guy was bored of her. Not her.

Youko threw her a cynical grin. "I find you the same as the others, every last one of you are. It's boring. It's annoying." His grin faltered, the annoyance evident in his gold irises, darkening the vibrant color into a deep yellow. "And I'm leaving."

He made to whirl around, only to stop mid-way in his movements as she suddenly spoke, "It's her, isn't it?" There was a growl. "It's her," she repeated, sounding firmer this time.

"Who exactly are you talking about?" Youko asked, despite already knowing who it was.

"That bitch!" she hissed, her fingers curling into vengeful fists, the spite in her voice barely conceivable, "You've been seeing her, haven't you? Some of the girls saw you coming and going from her room."

Youko could feel his patience growing thin; this woman had no idea who he was and what he was capable of. He had only been using her for sex, deriving pleasure from her body but wanting no attachment to her. And she had the audacity to act like his lover. He had told the girls he slept with beforehand that he didn't desire anything serious and only wanted the physical pleasure. Apparently, even declaring his attentions loud and clear couldn't keep pesky girls like this one from bothering him.

When the fox demon was unresponsive, the girl decided to go on, "And I thought she was too innocent to associate with the filthy likes of demons like you. It would appear that the sweet little princess is nothing more than just a witch—" Her words were cut short, a loud, terrified cry leaving her lips as in a swift motion, Youko walked towards her and grabbed her arm in a tight, painful hold, his fingers threatening to break her bones and rip the limb out of its socket.

She lifted her head to yell at him that he was hurting her, only to trail off as her eyes locked with his dark ones. The malice and fury in his gold irises evident as he glared down at her, causing the anger to die out of her system as fear took its place.

"If I were you, I'd keep my mouth shut, woman," His voice dripped with menace, as a low and dangerous growl rumbled in his chest, "Say what you will of me but if you dare speak of ill things about Botan again, I won't hesitate to kill you." As the threat erupted from his throat, Youko released the grip he had on her arm, pushing her down roughly and watching with a non sympathetic expression as she felled to the ground in a loud thump.

"Tell this to the other ferry girls: if you dare come near me or my woman, for that matter, I _will_ find you and make you suffer through torture that's worse than death."

* * *

"Well then, if you'll excuse me," Botan bowed, watching as Koenma waved a hand dismissively at her, before turning and heading for the door. Pushing it open, the ferry girl almost staggered back as she came face to face with Hinageshi. It took her a while to get over her shock at the redheaded girl's sudden appearance, and when she did, she eventually noticed the concerned expression on her face. "W-what's wrong, Hinageshi?"

Hinageshi seemed to look around her, before taking Botan's hand in hers and dragging the confused bluenette to a more secluded place. They rounded a dark hallway where the residents there usually kept their unneeded stuff, entering a store room and closing the door behind them. Hinageshi spun around to meet Botan's questioning gaze, a serious look on her features.

"You know, Botan-chan…" she started, "I've been hearing a lot of weird rumors about you lately…"

Botan blinked. "Rumors?"

"Y-Yeah." Hinageshi nodded her head, throwing the other girl a skeptical glance before averting her gaze to the wall. "L-like how you and Youko-san have been seeing each other… or how he warned other ferry girls not to come close to you and him… and… well, I didn't want to believe what other people are saying about you, so I wanted to ask you about it and… Is it true?"

Botan's eyes widened into saucers as Hinageshi's words sunk in. So that was why her fellow ferry girls had been avoiding her nowadays… Dear Enma, how could she not know? And why did Youko have to warn her friends not to come near her? He didn't have any right. She had already given herself to him; that was enough. He got what he wanted. So, why was he still trying to ruin her life?

She broke out of her reverie as she felt a small tug at her right kimono sleeve. Tentatively, she peered down at her short friend, uncertain of what to answer. "I…" she started, only to trail off after one word as she realized she couldn't find her voice. Did Koenma know about this? Probably not, because he didn't ask her anything. But… it was only a matter of time before he would…

"It's true, isn't it?" Hinageshi's words came out sounding more of a statement than a question, and she released Botan's sleeve, her hand falling limply to her side. "I didn't think you would…"

Panic coursed through Botan's being as she saw the slight disappointment in Hinageshi's green orbs, and she went up to quickly say something, "Hinageshi, I… Please believe me, I'm not like those other girls. I'm not the kind of girl who sleeps around with… a demon… I…" she stumbled over her own words, wondering inwardly how she had gotten herself into this predicament.

Hinageshi looked up at her, the disappointment having died out of her system, taking its place was what Botan could perceive as hurt and anger. "I don't care about that! I don't care if you're sleeping with Youko, I don't care if you're dating him! I just…" Hinageshi's head turned downcasted as she murmured, her voice a lot octaves lower this time, "… I didn't think you would keep that a secret from me."

"Hinageshi…" Botan's eyes softened. "I'm sorry, I… I was scared…"

"Scared of what?" Hinageshi asked, sounding firmer and more demanding as she looked up at Botan once again. "That I might condemn your for it? For god's sake, Botan, we've known each other for ages… I would never do that." Her green eyes were filled with determination as she said all this.

A smile slowly curled at the corner of Botan's lips. "I know… and I would admit that I was afraid of what the other ferry girls might say if they find out…"

"You're Koenma's top favorite girl," Hinageshi mumbled, "You didn't want your reputation to be tarnished."

"You know how jealous our fellow ferry girls are over how much Koenma favors me above all of them," Botan stated as a matter of factly, receiving a nod from the smaller girl in return. "I already knew how they would react before they actually figured out I've been seeing Youko. I'm guessing they've been saying that I'm a slut or something, and that I'm not like the innocent, goody two shoes that I portray." She smiled a bitter smile as she caught Hinageshi's sympathetic stare, the look further confirming her suspicions.

"Don't mind them," Hinageshi said in an attempt to reassure her, "They're just jealous that Youko's choosing you over them."

That captured Botan's attention, and she pinned a startled gaze at her short friend. "Huh?" She blinked her wide eyes. "He is?"

Hinageshi nodded. "Yeah, he's been pushing them away and breaking off his relationships with them. Personally, I think he likes you."

Botan felt a weird feeling intrude her heart, causing her heart beat to race and skip beats as Hinageshi's words sunk in. She shook her head, trying to make the strange emotions taking residence in her heart to somewhat disappear.

But, she was never that lucky.

* * *

"Come in."

Youko pushed the doors to Koenma's office open as the muffled permission to enter reverberated in his ears. He shut the door close behind him as he stepped in. "What did you want to talk about?"

The fox spirit's smooth and quizzical voice caused the Reikai prince to look up from his hands. He regarded Youko's calm expression with a judgmental stare. "Youko," he called, his voice grim. "I assume you know what you're here for?" he asked instead of answering the silver haired demon's question. He then grabbed his cup of coffee, bringing it to his lips and sipping the contents.

Youko quirked an eyebrow his way and cocked his head slightly. "And what _is_ that exactly, Koenma?"

Koenma slammed the cup on the table, the glass surface breaking under the brute force he used. He shot a glare at the fox. "You know what I'm talking about," he half growled, "There's no use playing dumb." He stared heatedly at Youko, his eyes threatening to burn holes through a silver head. Youko gazed back at him with a stoic face, but said nothing. Realizing that he wasn't about to hear a response, Koenma leaned back in his chair, the glare in his hazel orbs intensifying. "You've been screwing around with Botan."

Finally, he could see a light smirk tugging at the fox's lips. The quirk of his lips taunting the Reikai prince. "Screwing around? I don't suppose you meant fucking her, did you?"

"Youko, I don't have time for your petty mind games—"

"Because if you did, I certainly have been," Youko's cold voice cut short his indignant sentence. Koenma felled silent, stunned at his blunt response and more at the dangerous gold irises glaring back at him. Youko's smirk wavered slightly. "And what does that have anything to do with you actually?"

Koenma clenched his hands into vengeful fists, the shock fading into thin air as fury rose within him. "I let you stay here because I was in debt to you, Youko," he started, his voice composed, but the underlying anger was evident, "I even allowed you to bring some of your friends and followers along." Brown eyelids fluttered close as Koenma's eyebrows furrowed in frustration and his body began to shake. "And yet, here you are, sleeping with my good friend."

"Is there something wrong with that?" Youko stated more than asked, his voice lacking any emotion, "You didn't care when I slept around with the other ferry girls… or your girlfriend – no, _ex_ girlfriend – for that matter. So, why are you being touchy about this now?"

Koenma's eyes shot open at the mention of Ayame, despite no name was spoken. He gritted his teeth, the fox's words further igniting the raging fire inside him and darkening his once bright hazel irises into a deep chocolate brown. "I even let you off the hook when you fucked Ayame because I thought you were my loyal friend, even though I broke up with her!" he roared, standing up from his chair, barely aware of the material falling to the ground at the brute force as he shot heated daggers at Youko.

Youko was silent for a moment, seeming to consider something. He stared into Koenma's eyes, realizing from the lost of humanity within them that he caught a slight hint of jealousy. The fox smirked. "You like her," he remarked.

"Of course I did, Ayame was my girlfriend. I even planned on marrying her—"

"I don't mean her." An amused chuckle rumbled out of Youko's chest, cutting short the Reikai prince's sentence like a knife through butter. "I mean, you like Botan. You love her," he went on as his chuckle dissipated into thin air.

The sight of Koenma's angry expression dropping from his countenance, replaced with a startled look, was enough to confirm his suspicions.

Koenma opened his mouth to make a smart retaliation, only to clamp it shut as he realized there was no use in trying to deny what was true, especially not now that Youko had caught on to the feelings he harbored for Botan that he had so desperately tried to hide for so many years. His head turned downwards, his brown bangs covering his eyes as he took in a deep breath.

"So what if I do?" Koenma said, his voice barely a whisper. "Even if I do love her, what is it to you?"

Youko shrugged. "I don't really care, actually." A light smirk tugged at his lips. "You know, usually, I'd kill anyone who dares to even glance at her way, but not you. I'm reluctant to admit it, but I've grown rather fond of you, Koenma. A shame that it had to end this way, though."

Koenma lifted his head to narrow his eyes at the fox, who seemed deadly calm, for some reason. "A shame it is," he 'agreed', smiling sardonically. "And what a shame it is for us to depart now." The smile faltered from his lips as he said, "You are to leave Reikai first thing tomorrow morning. I forbid you to stay here any longer." His voice was stern, leaving no means of disagreement, and Youko's smirk broadened a little.

 _What a child_. Youko chuckled to himself, but uttered, "Very well then. Although, before that, I must inquire you of something," he added abruptly, his gold eyes flashing at the Reikai prince, who narrowed his hazel orbs at him in return.

"What?"

"Does Botan know that you know?"

Koenma's face turned somber as he darted his eyes to the floor. "No," he murmured, "I didn't have the guts to ask her. And she wouldn't be able to give me a proper answer anyway. She'd be too busy fidgeting and stuttering to give me one." Just as his words came to a halt, he looked up again at the fox, feeling his ire rising again at his nonchalant features.

"I see," Youko nodded, "Well, I suppose I'll be going now before this discussion starts to get bloody," he said, with a light smirk as he stared at Koenma's hatred-filled eyes for a moment, before whipping around, smirking to himself, as he headed for the door.

"Just so you know, prince," Youko started as his fist reached for the handle of the door. Casting one final glance over his shoulder at Koenma, he went on, "I won't let her go."

And with those last words, he opened the door, the creaking sound that followed seeming to spell an impending doom as he stepped out, and shut it close.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 **Summary:** "I always get what I want," he murmured against the skin of her throat, but she was more focused on the warm hand trailing teasingly up her night dress. Good lord, what had she gotten herself into?

 **Chapter 10**

 _Anything I ever wanted, I took._

 _There was never anything I couldn't get._

Youko strolled along the hallway, his white tail swishing behind him. He halted in his tracks as he caught sight of a familiar blue haired ferry girl, a smirk reaching his lips as he advanced towards her.

The girl didn't seem to notice his presence until he grabbed her by the arm, forcing her supple figure flushed against the hard contours of his body. The startled cry that he'd managed to rip out of her enticed him to do more, and he did; his other hand taking a hold of her left shoulder as he pulled her closer, crushing her pink mouth with his, and silencing her muffled protests.

Botan accidentally dropped the paperwork she was holding on to as Youko backed her against the wall. She felt his tongue prod at her upper lip, asking her for permission, but she refused to grant it, stubbornly keeping her mouth shut. Her disobedience seemed to aggravate him, and he snaked one arm around her waist, the hand that had been gripping on her shoulder falling to her hips, giving the plump mound a firm squeeze and causing her to let out an involuntary whimper, her parted lips allowing his tongue to dive in.

The wet appendage stroked against hers, silently ordering her to do the same. Her body quivered and her hands found his shoulders, her nails digging almost painfully into his pale skin as she slowly responded, stroking back against his tongue. His claws dug into her butt, and she jerked in his arms at the pain that coursed through her form in return.

 _I'm selfish, greedy and lustful._

He pulled apart, watching as a string of saliva dripped down her chin. Her hand reached to wipe it off, but he beat her to it, his hand cupping her cheek as his fingers gently caressed her lower lip.

 _I'm cruel, a thief and a liar._

"One last time," he murmured, "Let me take you tonight for one last time." And her beautiful pools of amethyst flicked up to meet his smoldering gold, the confusion that danced in hers staring back at the lack of emotion in his.

 _I break things, I hurt people, I take millions of lives, and I betray those who put their trust in me._

"What are you talking about?" she asked, and he gave her a small smile. A rare, _genuine_ smile which left her speechless and stole the breath out of her lungs.

 _I always easily tire of the things I take, I always want more, and I always need more._

"I'm leaving Reikai tomorrow." He wove his hand into her hair, his fingers running and curling around the silky sky blue tresses. "I won't be able to step in this realm anymore, and we can't ever meet again." His smile broadened ever so slightly. "So, just for one more night, I want to feel that you are mine."

 _I could break you._

"Did Koenma…" she started, but trail off, brushing off the wave of disappointment that overwhelmed her senses as he pulled his clawed hand out of her mane. He felled silent, and that was all it took to answer her. "I'm sorry," she whispered before she knew it. What was she saying? Wasn't this what she wanted? So, why did she have to feel so remorseful about it? Why did it have to sadden her as much as it did?

 _I could hurt you._

"Do you want me to promise?" he stated more than asked, as his arm unhooked itself from her waist. "I won't touch any of your friends that are so precious to you… or anyone else." His eyes seemed to glint as he gaped down at her. "So, you can have your normal life back."

 _I could rape you._

"After tonight," he finished, and she bit her lip. She nodded her head, and the elevator at the wall beside her beeped, signaling that it was time for her departure. She briskly grabbed the fallen papers off the floor, before she excused herself, turning and entering the elevator. When she looked back, she realized he was still smiling at her.

 _I want to._

Botan blinked. Just before the doors slowly slid close, she could have sworn she saw his lips moved. But, no words came out, and she was left baffled and stunned as the doors finally shut tight, Youko's figure no visible in her view. For whatever reason, a single tear cascaded down her left cheek.

Why was she crying?

 _I'm sorry._

* * *

"Ah…"

 _Your moans are like music to my ears as I thrust into you._

A groan that rivaled her screams rumbled out of Youko's chest, as he pushed his thick shaft into her wet, warm cavern, the pleasure of her walls enveloping him as he buried himself hilt deep into her almost overwhelming. Her nails dragged across his abs, snaking around his back and digging almost painfully into his skin.

 _The strong desire to have you that I've managed to suppress grows steadily greater and greater with each passing day._

"Youko…" she sighed his name, the sound causing him to move. Slowly and gently at first, which startled her and caused her to flutter her closed eyelids open. Youko seemed to be gazing at her, the loving and affectionate look in his rich gold irises making her breath hitch in her throat.

How rare.

 _I want to hear your cry my name._

All of a sudden, he drew himself completely out of her, the tip of his cock teasing her slick folds, and then buried all the way into her. He kept doing this for a few more times, and she threw her head back, her body starting to shake and her fingers gripping onto his biceps. Her mouth hung apart to allow her mewls of pleasure to pour out her throat, as he started to ram into her, sliding in and out of her in quick, hard strokes that left her unable to form words. Her eyes half lidded, her porcelain skin flushing an adorable red, and her brows furrowing in frustration as more and more pleasure began to rocket through every cell in her being.

 _I want to see the look of pleasure on your sweet little face._

Abruptly, Youko stopped for a moment to lift her lips and wrap them around his shoulders, the added leverage making him enter deeper into her, and causing her to let out a startled gasp. Then, he didn't waste anymore time, didn't even bother to hold back, as he drilled harder and faster into her. He shifted his hips and the head of his penis hit the sensitive spot inside her, her eyelids shooting open in surprised pleasure as he continued to slam his cock mercilessly into her, brushing against her sweet spot that made her arch her back and shut her eyes tight.

She could feel a sticky, warm sensation drip into her fingers and trickle down her wrist, and briefly, wondered if that was her nails tearing through his skin. The smell of blood entered her nostrils and when she opened her eyes, she could see the red liquid trail down his muscular arm.

 _I want to make you mine._

Botan's back rubbed up against the bed again and again and breathless pants left her lips with each powerful thrust. She felt Youko's clawed hands grab the plump skin of her ass, motioning her to move, and she complied, bucking against him wildly, her movements frantic and lacking any technique but further increasing the pleasure. His groans mixed with hers, and she watched as he bent down to bury his head into the crook of her neck.

He felt her walls clamped tightly around his dick, forcing out a throaty groan from his throat.

 _I want you to know that only I can make you feel this good._

She could feel every inch of him, ramming into her again and again; every inch of his huge cock sliding into her battered pussy in inhuman speed. And it felt, oh, so good. His name escaped her lips again and again like a soft mantra, the feel of him grabbing her hips to force her impossibly closer causing her to cry out a scream that she never thought could belong to her.

 _Not Koenma, not Heiji… not any other guy._

The bed creaked and slammed into the wall with each drill of his shaft into her slick core, the sound of the material screeching momentarily causing the ferry girl to ponder if it would break under Youko's brute, relentless force. The coil in her tightened; signaling her nearing release.

"Y-Youko, I'm… I'm coming…" she panted, and he kissed her, swallowing and silencing her screams.

 _If anyone tries to take you from me,_

His pace was hasty and brutal as he focused on driving her to the point of orgasm, his own release coming close. A few more hard thrusts followed, before she finally came, her orgasm overriding her senses and he stilled, the feel of her walls clamping around him once more and the cry of his name pushing him over the edge, as his juices shot out in long spurts inside her.

 _I'd just kill them._

He felled on top of her, but did not pull out of her as he pulled back to gaze at her. She was panting, trying to catch her breath.

 _Because you're mine._

"Youko…" she called and he saw her eyes slowly drift close. "Don't… go…" her soft voice whispered, but by the time he reached a hand to cup her cheek, she was already asleep.

 _Forever._

* * *

Youko's eyelids fluttered open as he awoke.

The fox propped himself up his elbows, sitting up from the bed, his gaze fixed on the moonlight glimmering through the window and coloring the ceiling and the walls a translucent blue. He stared for a few moments, before rotating his head to the left, and shifting his gold irises to the blue haired maiden sleeping soundly beside him.

He smiled a bitter, apologetic smile.

 _I always thought that demons like me would never be capable of loving someone else,_

"I'm sorry," he murmured as his arm extended to touch her, his hand weaving through her hair as he curled one strand of blue around his finger. "You surely won't forgive me." Especially not after what he was about to do. Pulling apart from her, Youko looked away and threw his legs over the edge of the bed, getting up to his feet. His eyes caught the pieces of clothing he wore, and he briskly reached for them.

 _but I was wrong._

As he slipped on his tunic, the fabric cascading beautifully down his waist, he turned and spared Botan a fleeting glance.

"Goodnight, my peony," came his soft whisper, and then he headed for the door, opened it and left. Botan's heaving back was what greeted him through the crack of the door as he slowly slid it close.

 _I love you._

* * *

Koenma found himself woken up by the sound of the door to his office creaking and screeching against the floor. The remnants of his dream were being chased away as he lifted his head from his arms, his eyes evidently sore as if he had been crying for hours. _How pathetic_. He scowled to himself. _If I keep this up, my subordinates might think that I'm exactly like how I appear – a toddler. Good thing I've been in my teenage form these days._ He sighed, rubbing a fist at his red eyes.

He had been busy thinking of Botan and Youko that he had felled asleep in his office. He reprimanded himself that he shouldn't be overanalyzing things; that Botan had a reason for being with the fox spirit. Obviously, however, Koenma had a hard time accepting the two's relationship, even if there _was_ a reason behind their union. And Youko… He just couldn't believe it. He thought of Youko as a brother, a loyal subject, and he just went and stabbed a knife on his back… Well, when Koenma thought about it, though, it wasn't as if Youko was fully to blame here… He didn't know that the Reikai prince had a crush on the blue haired ferry girl, so maybe he didn't do it to intentionally hurt him… Then again, Youko was pretty unusually intelligent, noticing things others didn't normally take note of. And the fox _did_ in fact sleep with his ex.

Shaking his head, Koenma decided that he shouldn't be wasting anymore brain cells thinking of the fool he once called a good friend. No matter what the reason or how it happened, there was no turning back now. He had already demanded for Youko's departure from Reikai. The fox would leave tomorrow. He didn't have to see him again, and more importantly, _Botan_ didn't have to see him again.

He blinked when he realized that the door was wide open, as if someone had pushed it, and he was suddenly reminded of the sound that had woken him up. It was the sound of the door opening. Either it was the wind, or someone had sneaked in, he wasn't sure. Although, he suspected it was the latter; the wind couldn't push a door as big as the one in his office. His body tensed as he thought of the possibility that an intruder had been in his room, the fear that said intruder would cause harm to him causing him to stand up almost immediately from his chair. He went to rush for the door, only to halt mid-way through his attempts as he realized that the paperwork on his desk was terribly messy. Usually, he wouldn't mind the mess, but at the reminder that his father might come into his office the next day, he promptly decided to clean it up. Cursing himself for falling asleep, Koenma hurriedly arrange the papers, unaware of the tall silhouette leaning idly against the wall behind him.

"You seem like you're in a rush," a smooth voice said, echoing in the empty room. Koenma stilled completely, his body turning into a rigid line as he realized he recognized the owner. Tentatively, he turned around, and confirmed his suspicions as he met eye to eye with a pair of gold. He nearly staggered and felled on his butt, but managed to catch himself at the last minute.

"Youko," Koenma regarded the fox with a skeptical stare, one hand placed on his chest to slow down the beating of his heart, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to pay my visit," Youko responded casually, before pushing himself from the wall. His arms were crossed over his chest as he studied the Reikai prince with a stoic face. A cryptic smile soon appeared on his lips as he went on, "Before I go."

"I-I see." Koenma nodded, finding himself somehow unnerved by the fox's sudden friendliness. He stepped back as Youko stepped forward.

"My," A chuckle reverberated in the cold air, sending a shiver down Koenma's spine, "are you afraid of me now, Koenma?"

"No," Koenma firmly denied, his hazel eyes narrowed at the silver haired demon in a suspicious manner. "I'm not scared. I'm furious."

"Is this about Botan again?"

"You always get what you want." A death glare was shot at Youko's direction, a feral growl sounding between the two men. "You already took Ayame. You didn't have to steal her from me as well."

"My apologies," Youko muttered, although his tone was less than sincere. "I did not know you care that much about Ayame. I only gave her what she wanted, after she begged me on her knees. I felt sorry for her."

Koenma clenched his fists at his sides as Youko said all this. "You didn't actually have to give it to her," he murmured, before looking straight into the fox's orbs. "And you didn't have to take Botan away from me."

"I'm sorry to say this, but she was never yours," Youko told him, "Although I am truly sorry for our ruined friendship, I do not regret taking her. After all, you were not the only one who wanted her to yourself." Gold irises narrowed dangerously, as Youko's smile faltered, reducing to a thin line. "The only difference is that I had the audacity to achieve what I want."

"You always want what you can't have. You'll soon tire of her, and you'll break her heart. You don't deserve her. She deserves better."

"While I do agree that Botan does deserve someone better than I am, I will have to disagree with your statement of me growing tired of her. I will never. She's too different and too interesting."

"Too different and too interesting? See? You're still speaking about her like she's an object; like she's the same with the rest of the things you stole and broke, except she apparently has the specialty of keeping your interest longer than the others did."

Youko smirked at the antagonizing tone laced in Koenma's voice. "At first, I did think of her like that." His smirk wavered as his countenance took on a more serious expression. "But, no longer that I do. I care about her."

"You care about her?" Koenma nearly screeched. "You're brutal, ferocious and merciless. Capricious and cruel, you don't have any attachments."

"True as that might have been, I'm afraid I'm going to have to say that you're incorrect." Youko ran a hand through his hair. "Unlike those things that I stole and broke, I actually cherish her."

"You mean you love her?"

"If that's what it takes to express my feelings for her, then yes, I do love her. But, truthfully, I don't think that there are any words to actually express how I feel about her."

Koenma was utterly stunned, although he tried not to let it show as he pulled a calm look on his features. "Doesn't matter," he murmured, "You can't ever see her again once you step out of this place, anyway." And with those words, he spun around and went to leave the office.

"That's where you're wrong, Koenma."

He stopped dead in his tracks as Youko's words resonated in the air and into his ears. But before he could whirl around and demand what the fox meant, he caught a whiff of a strange scent. For some reason, as the smell invaded his nostrils, Koenma could feel his recollections of the events during the day slowly but gradually disappear.

"Youko… what did you do?" he asked in a hoarse whisper as he grabbed his head with one hand, his teeth gritting against each other as he felt an overwhelmingly painful headache began to take over his senses. Worse than that though, he could almost see his memories slowly being erased. He shakily lifted his head, catching sight of the yellow plant; its petals wide open as it sat beside the fox's feet.

"Just relax. It will hurt less if you do," Youko muttered, watching as the Reikai prince felled to his knees, "This is a special plant; it's a rare species that lives in Makai, you see, but I happen to have a considerably large amount of it. I've been collecting it for… certain purposes and as a last resort." His smirk widened. "It's a very unique kind. What's so unique about it? Well, it gives off a certain kind of fragrance… Once you take a sniff of it, you can never retain your memories. Although, for one who can control plants such as I, I can choose what memories I want to erase from your head. For example…" He paused, his fangs flashing devilishly, "… about a certain ferry girl."

"What?!" Koenma screamed, shocked despite the torment that was coursing through his veins. He stubbornly tried to resist the effects of the plant, but the more he tried, the more pain he had to suffer.

"There's no use resisting, you know," Youko said as he calmly advanced towards the quivering form of the Reikai prince. "I already gave it a specific order to erase your memories about Botan… and me, as well. Not only you, I've also made sure to erase the memories of the other reigens living here. Then, no one would be able to remind you of her and I." He bent until he was eye-level with Koenma, a smile slowly curling at the corners of his lips. "You should be happy. This way, it wouldn't hurt you anymore whenever you think of the two of us together."

"N-no…" Koenma could see the demon get up from his feet as he tried to battle with whatever it was that he was up against. But, already, he could feel his energy draining and his eyes turning half lidded as drowsiness began to slowly creep in. "I won't… let you… do this…"

"Too bad." Youko's voice was chilling as it reverberated through the walls. "I already have." He eyed the Reikai prince as his eyelids started to flutter close. Even though his resistance to the drug of the plant was quite strong, Koenma was already beginning to fall asleep. When his eyes finally drifted shut, Youko took hold of the area beneath his armpits, pulling him up and forcing him to lie on his chair.

"Forgive me, but this had to be done," came Youko's words as he headed for the door. He spared one last fleeting glance at Koenma, a small yet sincerely apologetic smile reaching his lips. Although they both came from different origins, and Youko had definitely betrayed Koenma's trust, he could not deny that the Reikai prince had been one of the rare few that he could actually consider a true friend.

"Goodbye."

 _I won't let anyone take her away from me._

 _I will make her mine._

 _Even if I die trying._

* * *

"Youko?" Botan called as her eyelids fluttered open, her consciousness rapidly returning from the land of dreams. She had awoken to the feel of his strong arms carrying her, and was baffled that they were strolling in an unknown place. "Where are we? Are we in some kind of mission or something?" Her sleepy voice questioned as she stared up at the fox with half-lidded eyes.

"No, we're not." Youko smiled at her. "We're going to my home."

"Your home?" she echoed, her mind blank for a moment. It wasn't until a second later did she realize what he meant. "You mean… Makai?" she asked.

At his affirming nod, Botan suddenly didn't feel so sleepy. She tried to break free of his hold, but as usual, only succeeding on failing in her attempts. Realizing that she had no choice but to go on with this – whatever this was – Botan's face began to drain of color.

"Why?" she croaked out. "I thought you said last night was our last night together? I thought you mentioned leaving Reikai? Why are we going back to your home?"

"You can also call it a territory if you want. Some think it's a better name than home."

Botan pondered to herself for a fraction of a second how a territory could be a better name than home, before brushing off the thought as panic started to creep up her skin. "No. Let me go."

"I can't take you back to Reikai."

"Why not?"

Silence engulfed the two of them for a moment, before Youko finally broke it off, "I've already erased their memories of your existence there."

"What?!" Botan shrieked, and Youko involuntarily released her as the ear-rupturing sound nearly broke his eardrums. His face was scrunched up in discomfort as he rubbed his ears, regaining his composure a moment after as he watched her scurry away to hide behind a tree. He sighed heavily.

"Don't be a child." He held a hand towards her. "Come here."

She shook her head stubbornly. "No, I will not. Not until you explain things to me," she firmly told him, although her voice evidently broke at the last word.

His hand felled limply to his side as he regarded her with a slightly impatient stare. "This isn't the right time for this. I'll explain it to you later. For now, we have to head for my domain. The others are already waiting for us there."

"B-but…"

"Kuronue and Hiei had even already packed and taken all your private belongings, and brought them here. So, there's no need to worry."

"That's _not_ what I'm worried about!"

Youko felled silent, his eyes gazing at her as she fumed in anger. He didn't say anything, and merely waited for her to go on. Although, he already knew what she was concerned about. When she didn't say more, he knew that _he_ had to be the first one to break off the tense, uncomfortable silence.

"I had to do it." He could see the angry tears watering her eyes as she glared up at him. "It was the only choice I had."

"B-but, Reikai is – was – my home. I had friends there. Great friends. Hinageshi… Koenma… Fuyumi… And you've already taken their memories. You took away the most precious things to me," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

His eyes softened, the sight of her frail stature causing him to momentarily regret what he had done. But, it was already in the past. And he couldn't change it even if he wanted to. And he didn't want to. If it was what he had to do to eternally keep her, then so be it. Even if she ended up hating him for it.

"There's no changing what's been done, Botan," he told her, his voice gentle but firm, "You have no choice but to stay here. With how things are right now, you will only be labeled as an intruder if you fly back to Makai." He extended his hand towards her once again. "My heart is already yours for the taking, so will yours be sooner or later." He gave her a crooked grin. "Besides, isn't this better? Most of your friend had already begun to bash you, and even Koenma couldn't look at you the same anymore. At least, you don't have to deal with the pain anymore."

Botan was torn apart. Was this fate really any better? For all she knew, she could be restrained as a prisoner at Youko's domain. If worse came to worse, she could probably even get killed. But, the look in Youko's eyes told her that he wouldn't let that happen.

She stared at his extended hand, wondering what to do. This was wrong. Everything was wrong. But, she didn't have a choice. He had a point. Even if she returned to Reikai, no one would remember her. She could go to prison for intruding the sacred realm. And no matter how hard she tried, she wouldn't be able to get her friends to remember. With no friends and no home, did that leave much of a choice other than for her to take his hand and let him drag her into whatever fate that was in stored for her?

And she did.

As her hand touched his, their fingers intertwined, and Youko's eyes met hers, she could already feel herself giving in to the devil's sweet temptation.

There was no turning back.

 **A/N:** I know this is a weird way to end a story. But it is… it's complete. It's ended. There will be a sequel to this, of course. As you can already tell by the ending. I'll post it here in due time. It's gonna be called Devil's Sweet Temptation: Broken Halo, or just Broken Halo, for short. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this short story! I'm sorry if there are those wishing it to be longer, but I ask you to keep a look out for the sequel! Hopefully, it will be a better story than this one. And I also apologize to those who hate me for making Youko an evil jerk. But, truthfully, it's what I think would happen if he stayed as a demon and felled for Botan. I mean, he is a demon, right? Demons are supposed to be cruel. At least, it's different than those other stories about how the cruel beast got magically reformed by an innocent, kind, pure maiden. (Not to say I don't like those kinds of stories though… I mean, I write those kinds of stories sometimes myself. But, I figured I might as well try something more different this time… Oh well). Anyway, I'll have to end my uninteresting blabbering here. With that said, I must once again remind you that although this story might be completed, I hope you would want to read the sequel one day. Thanks for all the support. I hope you guys have a great day, and review when you have the time!


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